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A draft UC Berkeley Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) projecting 18 percent growth in academic building space, 30 percent growth in student housing, and 18 percent growth in parking was released by the university this week. The documents, when implemented in final form, are expected to direct future development on the campus and in surrounding Berkeley neighborhoods for the next fifteen years.  

The public has until June 14 to make comments on the documents. All comments must be addressed by UC Berkeley officials and will be included in a final EIR sent to the Board of Regents for approval this fall. The university and the City of Berkeley Planning Commission have both scheduled public hearings on the plan, and a workshop to explain the plan is scheduled for late May. The city will also develop a staff response to the EIR to convey city concerns to the university.  

A summary of the plans, provided by the university, showed the following projections: up to 2,300 new parking spaces, 2,600 new dormitory beds and 2.2 million square feet of new office space, three-fourths of which would be on the core campus and city blocks to the west. 

The analysis showed that university expansion would cause “significant and unavoidable” worsening of traffic congestion during commute hours at University Avenue and Sixth Street and University Avenue and San Pablo Avenue. In many such cases the analysis recommends mitigation measures such as new traffic signals, according to a UC press release. 

Mayor Tom Bates said he was pleased with his cursory glance through the document. He said the proposed development appeared to be based on academic needs rather than on real estate opportunities, but he questioned if the university would be able to realize its ambitious plans. “Where are they going to get the money to implement this?” he asked. “The state can’t finance the projects they’re outlining.” 

For his part, Councilmember Kriss Worthington was angry that, from what he was told, the plan didn’t include a free bus transit pass for university employees as a way to mitigate foreseen traffic problems.  

University expansion has long been a contentious issue with residents and city officials who fear that increased construction leads to added congestion and increased expenses for the city which must pay for municipal services required to serve the university. 

Last year Berkeley paid an environmental consultant $50,000 to prepare a report, due out next month, that outlines the university’s impact on city expenses. 

A deal signed at the adoption of the last UC Berkeley LRDP in 1990 committed the university to pay the city $500,000 mostly for fire and sewer expenses, a figure Planning Commissioner Rob Wrenn said is “pretty inadequate.” “I think there is a strong expectation from the citizenry for the city to do more [to get mitigation payments] than in the last plan,” he said. 

Assistant City Manager Arrietta Chakos wouldn’t give a dollar figure on what the city hopes to recoup from the university, but said it would be far greater than the current amount. 

The first UC-sponsored hearing on the two draft plans will take place May 5 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. A May 11 hearing will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Krutch Theatre of the university’s Clark Kerr campus.