Long Range Development Plan Document

The UC Merced Long  Range Development Plan (LRDP) is a nearly 200 page document that presents a physical development and land use plan for UC Merced from its inception through long-term buildout, guiding facility placement to support the university’s mission and academic objectives. It articulates a vision for a flexible, sustainable campus, integrating community and environmental stewardship. The document establishes policies and provides a framework adaptable to future needs, reflecting best practices in higher education planning and public participation.

Need for a New Campus

UC projected a significant increase in college-ready California students by the early 21st century. The nine existing campuses could not accommodate this growth, prompting the decision to create a new campus committed to the California Master Plan for Higher Education’s principle of universal access for eligible students.

Site Selection

The San Joaquin Valley—a region with low UC participation rates and high projected population and demographic growth—was chosen to enhance geographic access and serve a diverse, often underrepresented population. More than 85 sites were evaluated, with the Lake Yosemite area in Merced County selected for its community support, amenities, environmental characteristics, and the unique opportunity for acquisition via the Virginia Smith Trust.

Academic Vision and Organization

UC Merced’s academic planning aims to develop a distinguished, student-centered research university through:

• Three divisions: Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences/Humanities/Arts (lacking hard departmental barriers to foster interdisciplinary collaboration)

• Professional schools, notably a School of Management within the first five years

• Signature institutes focusing on regional and global issues like sustainability, public policy, and migration.

• Undergraduate programs emphasize flexibility, integration, and innovation, with a planned college system for small-group interaction and collaboration with California’s community colleges and CSU system. The curriculum is designed to adapt as the campus population and research agenda grow.

Population and Land Use Projections

• Planned initial enrollment: 1,000 students (2004), projected to reach 25,000 (22,250 undergrads, 2,750 grads) at full buildout, with up to 6,600 faculty and staff.

• Site allocation: 2,000 acres—910 acres for the Main Campus (core facilities, housing, support, recreation), 340 acres as a Land Reserve (future growth, research), and 750 acres as a Campus Natural Reserve (protected research and teaching environment).

• Land use is carefully benchmarked against other UC campuses to ensure efficient development without compromising capacity for growth and academic distinction.

Physical Setting and Community Integration

UC Merced sits at the interface of the agricultural Central Valley and Merced’s urban edge. Its planning reflects Merced’s city grid and advocates for integration of campus and community through features like the University Community Town Center, designed as a mixed-use, 24-hour hub for shopping, dining, culture, and student life. Adjacent parks and open spaces (Lake Yosemite, the Meadow Park) are incorporated for recreation, visual identity, and environmental stewardship.

Core Planning Principles

Flexibility and Integration

The campus is designed for adaptability, with a grid that enables phased growth, interdisciplinary collaboration, and integration with the adjacent University Community. The LRDP stresses the need for legibility, easy navigation, and capacity for evolving technology and academic priorities.

Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship

UC Merced is to become a model of environmental sustainability:

• Ambitious energy goals: All buildings to outperform 1999 UC/CSU benchmark standards, with targets ratcheting down to 50% of those benchmarks by 2009.

• Strategies: Chilled water storage, green buildings (LEED™ certification), renewable energy, water-efficient landscapes, reduction of solid waste, integrated pest management, and preservation of vernal pools and rare habitats.

• The campus serves as a “living laboratory” for sustainable technologies and environmental research.

Facilities, Housing, and Open Space

• Academic Core: 157 acres with up to 3.5 million gross square feet for teaching, research, and administration, organized for interdisciplinary proximity.

• Housing: Targeted to provide 50% on-campus housing for students (with guarantees for freshmen), integrated faculty/graduate housing neighborhoods, and support facilities to promote retention and recruitment.

• Athletics and Recreation: Extensive facilities for curricular, intramural, and intercollegiate purposes, centrally located for access by all campus and community members.

• Open Space: Designed for ecology and social function, including parks, athletic fields, gathering spaces, streetscapes, and conservation areas.

Infrastructure, Transportation, and Utilities

• Circulation: Emphasizes multi-modal access—pedestrian/bike networks, transit service, limited vehicle core access, and intercept parking. Transportation Demand Management strategies (vanpools, charging stations, incentives) aim to reduce car reliance.

• Utilities: Centralized plants, redundant power and communications infrastructure, phased utility corridors, energy/water monitoring systems, plans for recycled water and stormwater retention, and a focus on life-cycle planning for long-term adaptability and cost-effectiveness.

Campus Design, Phasing, and Policies

• Building Design: Focuses on climate-responsive architecture, use of regional materials, maximizing daylight and natural ventilation, and phased density to minimize land impact and foster walkability.

• Phasing: Four broad phases from initial cluster to full buildout, prioritizing compact, contiguous development and integration with expanding community amenities.

• Policy Framework: Extensive set of policies covering conservation, sustainable development, transportation and utilities, land use flexibility, aesthetics, environmental protection, and coordination with local/regional authorities.

The appendices of the document provide methodological details on land area derivation, benchmark studies, programs, and participant lists. The effort was rooted in numerous consultations with academic planners, architects, engineers, local governments, and the community.