UConn to create master plan for Storrs Campus

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

The short of it, I concur. As someone who also went to UConn as an out of stater.

Sure, but the high caliber characterization is a far more recent development for many out-of-state UCONN students. A few exceptions existed, but most auslanders used to be at UCONN either due to sports or the New England Land Grant schools' exchange / cooperation program. Of course, most in-state students were equally shiett faced and didn't mind chugging brews paid by some Jersey punks' parents. No harm, no foul. )

 

[SubbaBub]

You haven't seen the Storrs campus in a long time, have you?

Actually, I have. I can assure you, for all the work they put into it, it's still a mess from a campus planning perspective. A colleague once say it best. Normally, you'd want campus buildings to have two front facades, at UConn many have two backs.

What this means is that previous expansions/remodels put very little thought into how the buildings and public spaces interact with one another. They simply filled empty space.

The creation of the Fairfield Way pedestrian east-west spine was a very basic idea. What's the north/south version? How does one get from the Jungle to the South Campus? How many roads and loading docks must you cross?

The North Garage and the South Garage are in about the worst possible spots imaginable. The access from 32 and Hunting Lodge Rd is horrible.

How does a major university not acquire prime land that currently houses a trailer park? Or allow a state road (N. Eagleville) to divide it's campus, especially one with a history of fatal accidents?

Where is the greenspace? Most campuses have lawns and quads for students to gather, recreate, and study. UConn has a beach volleyball court and a putting green for the south campus.

Why are the Hilltop residences and Charter Oak apta essentially cut off from the rest of campus for pedestrians?

I could go on, but I'd probably have to charge you.

 

[upstater]

Whether a bigger road or stadium gets built, it all depends on UConn's ambition. I've seen smaller and longer roads leading to much bigger universities. So the "impossible" predictions made by some here have already happened elsewhere. If the university is really to expand by 10k students, the area will need new infrastructure.

 

[babysheep]

Where is the greenspace?

Oh I dunno, this place called the Great Lawn? The massive South quad? The area in between Beach and CLAS? Our two lakes? The nostalgic North quad? The quad behind the library? The still fully viable, to-be-untouched space behind the Union? Seriously to any alum/student these are no-brainers...did you even attend?

How does one get from North to South? Spend a weekend on campus and you'll figure it out.

They're building this massive parking garage right on 195, in this palce called the Storrs Center, not sure if you've heard of it. North and South garages are great locations for what they accomplish for daily student and faculty needs. 32 and Hunting Lodge aren't exactly near campus.

Hilltop and Charter Oak are not cut off if you're not a fat slob opposed to walking up a hill for 5 minutes.

There are aesthetic changes that could be made but that's about it in my opinion. I've always thought that UConn was a super navigable campus.

 

[Fishy]

The move is to combine the UConn and State university systems, convert Storrs to ECSU (renamed to UConn - Mansfield focused back to agro and libral arts) and build a new main campus in East Hartford. Close UC-hartford, combine CCSU and SCSU, expand WCSU.

lol.

No.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Did UCONN seriously not have a master plan in place already? That's hard to imagine.

 

[UCONNJACK]

Did UCONN seriously not have a master plan in place already? That's hard to imagine.

New administration=New Master Plan. There have been multi master plans developed over the past twenty years

 

[huskymedic]

Did UCONN seriously not have a master plan in place already? That's hard to imagine.

Pick one... http://www.masterplan.uconn.edu/storrs.html

 

[CAHUSKY]

New administration=New Master Plan. There have been multi master plans developed over the past twenty years

A new plan with each administration? That wouldn't constitute a "master plan" to me. A master plan, in my experience, would be a long term plan overseen by the board of trustees (or whatever UCONN calls them) and each administration would be a steward of that plan. It may require updating but an absolutely new master plan with every administration would indicate no master plan but a series of short term 3 t0 5 year plans with no guiding document.

 

[specialisthusky]

A new plan with each administration? That wouldn't constitute a "master plan" to me. A master plan, in my experience, would be a long term plan overseen by the board of trustees (or whatever UCONN calls them) and each administration would be a steward of that plan. It may require updating but an absolutely new master plan with every administration would indicate no master plan but a series of short term 3 t0 5 year plans with no guiding document.

I beleive the Tech Park concludes 21st Century Uconn which was the master plan the new one will replace.

 

[Ha Who]

The best revenge to eastern Connecticut denying the highway to Providence was when the casinos came in. Anyway, good luck improving the roads into Storrs

 

[CAHUSKY]

I beleive the Tech Park concludes 21st Century Uconn which was the master plan the new one will replace.

Got it. That makes sense.

 

[SubbaBub]

Oh I dunno, this place called the Great Lawn? The massive South quad? The area in between Beach and CLAS? Our two lakes? The nostalgic North quad? The quad behind the library? The still fully viable, to-be-untouched space behind the Union? Seriously to any alum/student these are no-brainers...did you even attend?

How does one get from North to South? Spend a weekend on campus and you'll figure it out.

They're building this massive parking garage right on 195, in this palce called the Storrs Center, not sure if you've heard of it. North and South garages are great locations for what they accomplish for daily student and faculty needs. 32 and Hunting Lodge aren't exactly near campus.

Hilltop and Charter Oak are not cut off if you're not a fat slob opposed to walking up a hill for 5 minutes.

There are aesthetic changes that could be made but that's about it in my opinion. I've always thought that UConn was a super navigable campus.

You mean the ones pushed to the extreme limit of main campus. How long a walk is that exactly? How functional are they compared to similar spaces closer to where most people live and go to class? In fact Mirror lake is a perfect example of what's wrong with the layout. It's appearance over function. Benefiting those driving by more than people living on campus.

The fact that Hunting Lodge and 32 aren't near campus is problem one. They should be the defacto borders, Uconn should control and develop everything everything withing the 195/44/275/32 boundary. If the intent is 30k students, the only alternative is to crowd those extra people in the current space or across 195. Both of those only make the campus experience work.

I wouldn't expect you to be able to view campus with at critical eye, but from a pro perspective Storrs is a mess.

 

[FluxTZ]

I love how the athletic master plan from 2005 had Memorial Stadium as the site of the new soccer stadium. There weren't even plans for a basketball practice facility in 2005 - mind blowing.

It's also interesting to note they originally planned on having the new student rec facility be located on the back end of W Lot. I've lived in Husky Village and while it was a pain in the ass to get to/from class sometimes, I can't even imagine how annoying it would be as a student living anywhere else on campus (besides Towers) to try and go to the gym every day if the rec center was located there. Talk about inconvenient.

 

[babysheep]

You mean the ones pushed to the extreme limit of main campus. How long a walk is that exactly? How functional are they compared to similar spaces closer to where most people live and go to class? In fact Mirror lake is a perfect example of what's wrong with the layout. It's appearance over function. Benefiting those driving by more than people living on campus.

The fact that Hunting Lodge and 32 aren't near campus is problem one. They should be the defacto borders, Uconn should control and develop everything everything withing the 195/44/275/32 boundary. If the intent is 30k students, the only alternative is to crowd those extra people in the current space or across 195. Both of those only make the campus experience work.

I wouldn't expect you to be able to view campus with at critical eye, but from a pro perspective Storrs is a mess.

HAHAHAHAHAHA "extreme limit".... just look at a map. You're just making stuff up here, indicative of someone who has never stepped foot on campus.

You can walk from North to South in 15 minutes at a casual pace. Almost all of what constitutes the campus falls somewhere between the two. So, from either end of campus, you're really no more than a 10 minute walk to wherever you need to be more proximal to the center. The shuttle system has also been updated.

Great Lawn is across from East, and has major academic buildings on top of it.

Mirror Lake is across from Buckley, Shippee, South, and the new apartments going up in the Storrs Center, not to mention Arjona and Monteith, the only two buildings you're pretty much guaranteed to have a t least a couple classes in through your time at UConn. Many many people use it and it gives that "campus feel" that is mentioned; something that lets you know that you're at UConn, just like the Great Lawn and Horsebarn.

The quad between Beach and CLAS has massive pedestrian traffic going by it every day and is directly adjacent to not only Beach and CLAS but also the new Nursing building and Wilbur Cross. Events are held there during the year, such as the Parent Weekend cookout.

Swan Lake is another staple of the campus and is situated next to the Chem building and is a literal stone's throw away from the Nursing/CLAS/Beach area.

North and South quads as well as the space behind the LIBRARY and STUDENT UNION obviously require no discussion.

These already are places by where people live and go to class, and are highly functional. The unfortunate thing is that UConn's weather really only permits full enjoyment of these areas for a couple months out of the academic year. In my experience, by mid-October it's already getting chilly, and things don't really dry up and get warm until April.

Yeah and that's what they're doing...trying to expand to 44, and going in to heavy detail on the parking situation. It's just what you mention is not a relevant problem now.