Even with the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility off the table as a use of rural land along South Milledge Avenue, the greater question remains of how the University of Georgia uses not only that site or even the entire South Milledge corridor, but its entire landholdings in Clarke County. Currently, the attitude seems to be that all land is an investment to be built upon in the future, but isn’t environmental stewardship an equally worthwhile investment?

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Strengths and Weaknesses: That’s not to say that all land will be built up on campus, or that the university is completely devoid of green space or open space planning. The quads of North Campus are certainly sacred, and Herty Field and Brooks Mall are outstanding new additions to that tradition. However, the nature of funding for capital projects on campus seems to indicate that new open spaces are most likely to be achieved as part of a new building project. What this doesn’t allow for is projects which focus purely on greenspace.

The focus in campus planning is so heavily placed on buildings that even though there are great goals for open space as part of the campus master plan, those aren’t necessarily even shown on the accompanying map. The map only focuses on existing and future buildings. One example of an un-illustrated initiative is campus planners’ goal of linking one end of campus to the other with a “Green Mile” of walkable pedestrian corridors. The alignment of that green mile isn’t advertised or shown graphically as part of the master plan. Likewise, proposed quads aren’t shown on the map. Illustrating these greenspace efforts to be as equally critical for campus life as a new student center might help in securing funding for them.

Mapping planned open space might be the first step toward shifting the planning culture of UGA toward conservation-minded practice, but what is more greatly needed is a comprehensive evaluation of UGA properties’ value for conservation in general. Steps toward that, according to Kevin Kirsche, Assistant Director for Planning in the Office of University Architects, are establishing “specific guidelines for development and nondevelopment of undeveloped property” and “a compelling rationale for conservation.”

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Key Methods: Working with Athens-Clarke County Greenway planning efforts is one route for conservation efforts [and one on which progress is being made - see the note at the end of Part 1 of this article - Ed.]. UGA owns much of the land along the southern portions of the Middle and North Oconee rivers in the county. Further, the greenway could also be a tool for moving students, faculty and staff around by bike or on foot rather than in a car, which is in line with other goals of the Campus Master Plan.

Another place to look for open space guidelines is back in time, to when the north fork of Tanyard Creek was owned by the university and established as an arboretum. Other arboreta have existed on campus as well, including the Lumpkin Woods area (along Lumpkin between Myers Hall and Clark Howell Hall), which has recently been cleaned up and includes new rain gardens.

The idea of a “campus that teaches” is one endorsed by Kirsche and his office, especially when it comes to management of stormwater. The stormwater management techniques and green roof at the new Lamar Dodd School of Art are examples of facilities which educate the campus community about the importance of natural resource stewardship. Preserving both agricultural and natural landscapes in a way that is accessible ought to be a priority for a school with strong programs in agriculture, ecology, landscape architecture and forestry. Couldn’t the South Milledge corridor serve as a large-scale illustration of how agricultural, ecological and recreational resources can successfully coexist?

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Looking Intown: The broader question is how UGA property relates to its surroundings. This land doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and the effects of development or the lack thereof have an effect on adjacent residents. One thing that UGA ought to be doing, Kirsche acknowledges, is a study of campus edges which explores how the campus relates to surrounding land uses, and how best to delineate where UGA ends and Athens begins.

Particular places worth some exploration include the Hardin Tract - two pieces of land straddling the bypass on the eastern bank of the North Oconee River - and the Northwest and Northeast precincts, areas to to the east and west of the historic North Campus. A new special collections library is proposed on Hull Street, the first of many buildings to come in the Northwest Precinct. That area will likely be organized around a new linear open space replacing a segment of Hull Street. The current Student-Learning-Center-style brick-and-tan aesthetic of monumental buildings and formal quads doesn’t necessarily mesh well with the area’s currently residential character, comprised of public housing and historic single-family structures.

Quads and cupola’d brick halls don’t necessarily jive in the Northeast Precinct either. This area, centered on Spring Street, has an urban character and has historically been home to industrial and warehouse uses, but an early study shows a quad-like arrangement of buildings produced for this area, including a new building almost on top of the historic town spring. Although this quad-like treatment of the area did not make it onto the current master plan, the buildings at the spring did, which doesn’t show much of a regard for natural or historic resources.

For the Hardin Tract, the master plan reflects a potential development scheme of several new buildings in addition to a parking deck; if all land is treated as buildable real estate, then a complex of buildings is the best thing to build there, in order to take advantage of the investment. If environmental stewardship is given equal standing as a priority when it comes to land use, there might be a better chance of that land staying in forest, complementing adjacent Oconee Hills Cemetery and the greenway.

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Community Input: Ultimately, it’s problematic that UGA, although it’s the largest landowner in the county, is not beholden to the community’s planning goals. The Board of Regents’ status as a state agency means UGA outranks the rules here in town. Although there are no mechanisms for community input on individual UGA projects, the Campus Master Plan, last overhauled in 1998, is due for another full revision, and that may be the time to explore how the community’s desires can be incorporated into UGA’s goals.

Kevan Williams

Reach Kevan Williams at athensrising@flagpole.com.