UCSB's Long Range Development Plan:
A Tool For Planning Our Future
About the University's Mission
UCSB has been an important part of the Santa Barbara community for more than 60 years. We value the strong relationship we have with our community and strive to be responsive to it.
The University is a dynamic organization with a challenging mission. We offer higher education to our state's residents; we continue to reach new heights of academic excellence. We prepare an educated workforce that will keep California's economy strong, and we reflect the changing demographics in our fast-growing state. UCSB adds to the fabric of life on the South Coast with offerings of education, entertainment, athletics, and other resources. We strive to fulfill our mission while being accountable to both the State of California as well as our local community.
Planning for Future Needs via the Long Range Development Plan (LRDP)
The Long Range Development Plan is a planning tool that will shape how the campus will develop to the year 2025, including changes in our academic programs and the development of additional campus housing for students, faculty, and staff. The plan is based on a one percent annual enrollment increase to the year 2025.
We recognize that our plans to accommodate increasing student demand have impacts on our neighboring communities. The LRDP process is designed to address community issues and concerns and environmental impacts, while allowing for manageable growth in the student population. The plan offers real solutions to future issues, based on a commitment to managing traffic, avoiding sprawl, and taking responsibility for managing new demand for housing and other services. We believe that this is a highly sustainable model.
Key Elements of the UCSB Vision 2025 LRDP:
- The LRDP details our campus plans to the year 2025.
- The LRDP anticipates a growth rate of one percent per year in student enrollment, which mirrors the growth rate of the Santa Barbara region. This projection equals roughly 250 students per year to a maximum enrollment of 25,000 in 2025.
- The LRDP includes the development of housing needed to accommodate all additional students.
- The LRDP, when fully implemented, anticipates providing housing for more than 1,600 faculty and staff members. Currently, the University provides 65 units of faculty housing.
- The LRDP addresses resident concerns about increased traffic. The LRDP proposes a fair-share payment by the University for needed traffic improvements. Some past contributions include $6.8M for El Colegio Road improvements, $3.2M for traffic impacts identified in 1991, and $1.9M for North Campus faculty and staff housing in Goleta.
- The LRDP reflects our commitment to environmental issues and includes numerous policies regarding green building, sustainability, coastal protection and others.
The LRDP & Public Outreach
The UCSB Academic Plan has been in development for several years. The LRDP is a partner to this document and describes a physical plan for implementing it. The LRDP has been shared with our area neighbors. We place high importance on community feedback and involvement.
For ease of identification, the project has its own name: "UCSB Vision2025." During 2007 and the first half of 2008, we presented the proposed plan to interested organizations, residents, elected officials, and others. We have distributed materials, worked with the media, and maintained this Web site, www.UCSBVision2025.com, to offer additional information and a means of contacting us.
In addition to more than 50 meetings and presentations on the LRDP http://www.ucsbvision2025.com/outreach.html, a public hearing on the draft LRDP and EIR documents was held on June 4th, 2008. The public comment period ended June 23, 2008.
University officials and environmental consultants are reviewing comments and questions received during the public comment period and preparing responses. Responses to the comments will be incorporated into the Final LRDP and EIR. Those documents are anticipated to be available in Fall of 2008 and will be available on this Web site. The LRDP and Final EIR will then proceed to the UC Board of Regents, followed by the California Coastal Commission for review and anticipated approval in 2009.
Updates regarding next steps in the LRDP & EIR approval process will be posted on this Web site. If you would like to receive updates via mail and/or email, please click here http://www.ucsbvision2025.com/contact.html to register your contact information. If you are already on our outreach list, no further action is necessary. Thank you for your interest in UC Santa Barbara.