Input sought on landscaping plan

By SUE WUETCHER
Reporter Editor

Work sessions have been scheduled on both the North and South campuses to solicit public input on the preliminary conceptual plans for a campuswide master landscaping plan.

The sessions will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday in 301 Crosby Hall on the South Campus and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 30 in the second-floor Social Hall of the Student Union on the North Campus.

The sessions will be open to all members of the university community, as well as the public.

The conceptual plans have been developed by the consultant team-the local firm of Wendel Engineering and the New York City-based HOK Planning Group-and members of the universitywide Master Landscape Plan Advisory Committee (MLPAC).

In addition to presentation and discussion of the conceptual plans, the sessions will review the preliminary findings of the 1,600 questionnaires that were distributed last month to faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the nearby business community.

Designed to "encourage active public involvement at the critical early stages of the master-planning process," according to Michael Wright, associate program coordinator for University Facilities and project manager for the landscaping project, the work sessions are part of the fifth phase of a five-phase planning process. Phase 1, completed earlier this month, included the gathering of data on existing conditions, interviews with members of the university community, and an analysis of the opportunities and constraints based on this information.

These findings formed the basis for Phase 2, developing the initial preliminary design concepts. The current effort to solicit input focuses on the broad conceptual ideas leading to landscape redevelopment projects aimed at enhancing and improving the quality of life on both campuses.

Phases 3 will include design development, building on the broad concepts of Phase 2 and the public input gathered from the Phase 5 work sessions to create design drawings for each campus, illustrating the concepts in greater detail, including plans for gathering spaces, pathways and bikeways, trees and other vegetation, and benches and bike racks.

The fourth phase of the project will involve plans for management and maintenance of existing and proposed campus landscapes.

The key goal of the landscaping project, Wright says, is to create an environment that will help with the recruitment of students. "We want parents of potential students, when they bring their kids to campus for a visit, to have a good impression of the university," he says.

Peter Killian, director of marketing and a member of the MLPAC, notes the architects have been charged with "looking at everything, not just where we can plant flowers."

The architects will take into consideration UB 2025, a 30-year project to transform the North Campus into a greener, more inviting physical environment.

The master plan is expected to be completed by the end of May, Wright says, noting that the actual landscaping work will be done in phases over five to 10 years. Although no budget has been set, the project will be financed with capital money, he adds.