Audrey Rufe

12/3/04

English 134

Out With The Old And In With The New

Snuggled between the background of the Cal Poly campus and the mountains, lie bright green grassy fields sweeping over the sloping terrain. The brilliance of the sun on the picturesque scenery makes for just the right lighting. The numerous bulls that inhabit the Bull Test Area are lazily slouching in their spacious pen and chomping at their breakfast. Apart from the mellow bovines, on the other side of Brizzolara Creek, the Abattoir sits silently yet eerily by its lonesome, just awaiting its next victim. Adjacent to the Bull Test Area are the Feed Mill and Feed Lot, made up of a large barn and a silo. To the left of these fields, the Drumm Reservoir reflects sparkling bits of sunlight and is surrounded by reeds swaying in the wind. The setting is undisturbed by the stress and noises of the nearby civilization--at least for now. The feeling of tranquility is overshadowed by the impending change from a natural habitat to a civilized one. Within two years the Feed Mill will be replaced with a parking lot, the Feed Lot will be the site for a brand new swimming pool, and the Bull Test Area will be the building ground for apartments and living facilities otherwise known as Student Housing North.

The idea for this building project started in January of 2003. According to Joel Neel, Associate Director in Facilities Planning and Capital Projects, the Master Plan envisioned all new students living on campus with new housing facilities built to include 3000 beds. The reason for this building project was to more than double the student population living on campus.[1] In Student Housing North, these apartments would be more accessible to classes because of the close proximity to campus, much like the Cerro Vista Apartments. Also similar to Cerro Vista, the student population in these apartments would mainly be second years. According to Mr. Neel, the tentative budget for this project is $266 million. Student Housing North’s one million square feet encompasses eleven, five story buildings including suite style living areas as well as two and four person apartments.[2] Along with the living facilities the new development will also include a village center with a variety of stores, recreational space, administration buildings and two parking lots. [3]

There is one large adjustment that must occur in order to make way for the buildings; the Ag. facilities in that area must move to separate, remote locations. Mr. Neel concedes this problem, but also notes that the constructing of brand new apartments would benefit a greater percentage of the student body. Indeed, the majority of Cal Poly students never set foot on the university’s agricultural lands, let alone the Bull Testing Area. A wider range of students will benefit from new housing facilities so close to the campus core. The project would give the Ag. Department new and improved facilities as well as providing much needed on campus housing; however, the current Feed Lot and surrounding properties have their own history. Most of the buildings have been there since the 1950’s or earlier, and generations of Cal Poly students have used them.[4] These buildings hold sentimental value for both the professors and students who work there.

When contemplating this new development, soon to be resting on prime agricultural land, one cannot help but think of the welfare of the surrounding environment along with the potential harms. Although many negative aspects of the project will soon be explained, the department in charge of the development still has found ways to include environmentally friendly features of the new buildings. Robert Kitamura, director of Facilities Planning and Capital Projects, detailed different parts of the plan that will be in accordance with the US Green Building Council standards, including protection of the ecological and agricultural areas around the building site. Also, plant materials would be used that blend in with the natural surroundings and don’t require irrigation, thus saving water. The residences will be designed to use mostly natural light and ventilation and installing no air conditioning units in the apartments will conserve energy. Other ‘green’ techniques potentially used would be gray water for irrigation and steel instead of wood for structure. Not only will the apartments be placed directly on prime agricultural land, but also they will stand just north of Brizzolara Creek, whose well being and habitat are of concern. The committee that heads the project has kept this key factor in mind. They have provided in the plan that all the Agricultural facilities south of the creek will be removed and relocated somewhere else. “The removal of the concrete buildings will provide for an ecologically sound, more natural creek environment,” says Mr. Neel. Without the buildings, the creek will grow better in its complete native habitat without the continuous disturbances of people. The committee plans to build the residences at least fifty feet away from the creek, so as to not disturb natural habitat[5], although this is still a small distance and close enough for humans to affect the ecosystem through littering and other such damage.

Another environmental issue is the new parking facility for the students in the prospective apartments. The project plan includes two new parking structures with about 2,000 spaces. Even though these units will be convenient for the students, their addition is environmentally damaging because of excess air pollution created. In the process of finding room for these large building structures, the planners have already thought of intruding on biologically sensitive areas. And the protests made by the biology department to stop these plans were to no avail. But when the planners found a PG&E supply line crossing the area they changed their building plans.[6] This shows that the planners are not taking into account all the aspects of the project and that they mostly care about the convenience of the development instead of its effects on the environment. Mr. Neel also mentioned the necessity of a road built over the creek for accessibility of the residents. This could prove to be a very difficult task when trying to simultaneously protect the animals and plants. As an alternative, the Environmental Impact Report suggests that the road make a zig-zag pattern around the environmentally sensitive area. I think that the main road to the prospective residences should be built over an existing bridge so that organisms inhabiting the area and the area itself will not be harmed.

In addition to causing potential damage to the environment in the wake of the building plans, the project is not following the Master Plan’s criteria for sustainable building techniques. The committee has taken into consideration the option to add a few ‘green’ buildings to the development. These are built in order to reduce harm on the surrounding environment. Indeed, ‘green’ buildings are being incorporated into the project, but the department finds it too expensive to create an entirely ‘green’ development. This shows that the committee does not find it fitting to expend available resources. But according to sustainability coordinator, Panama Bartholomy, there are substantial funds available that Cal Poly is entitled to. They help in the cost, but Cal Poly chooses not to use them. The UC Regents have already developed a policy in which they will construct buildings according to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), but until a standard is set for the CSU’s, Cal Poly intends to stick to the minimum sustainable building requirements set forth by LEED.[7] This means that Cal Poly planners are opting for buildings that meet LEED standards, but they are not going to pay for total LEED certification, in which case all of the buildings would be sustainable instead of the few that the planners intend to build. And even though California’s previous governor, Gray Davis, encouraged CSU’s and UC’s to practice sustainable building techniques, Cal Poly still hasn’t done this to the full extent that other universities have.

While researching this issue, I studied both sides of the argument. Theoretical benefits of a new residential community include: capabilities to house up to a third of the student population and providing a modern, more real-world living situation for students while maintaining a somewhat environmentally conscious attitude towards the surrounding areas. However, I feel the downsides to this proposal outweigh the advantages. These consist of: uncertain amounts of damage to the existing ecosystem and doing away with an historical part of Cal Poly’s campus.

When I first arrived at this controversial plot of land, I was astonished that the beautiful green pastures would disappear because of the new residential additions. When I think of this cumbersome new development in the small, peaceful town of San Luis Obispo, I am reminded of my own town of Danville. Much like SLO, it is a historical place with a quaint downtown and a charming atmosphere. The population is relatively small and not many tourists or new residents have overcrowded the area. But in the secluded rolling hills of Danville huge housing developments are being constructed. This is very similar to the current situation with Student Housing North. Soon to be resting on the bright green pastures, the addition of the housing developments will bring 3,000 more people. This would be a 20% increase in the student population and %100 percent increase of those living on campus, which is much more than necessary. A sudden increase in population has created an unsettling, crowded atmosphere in Danville and will do the same in Cal Poly. A much slower growth would be more suitable instead of a sudden, huge increase. Just because there is open land, this doesn’t necessarily mean that buildings should be put there. I am disturbed by both Danville and Cal Poly’s new developments. Before we know it, little agricultural land will be safe, and soon enough, when we look out the window to view the beautiful scenery, the only thing in sight will be brand new housing developments instead of the green pastures and rolling hills that once graced that piece of land.