A companion to the UAA Campus Master Plan is the
UAA Capital Improvements Plan (CIP). Its purpose
is to identify specific options for implementation of
the master plan one project at a time. The Capital
Improvements Plan is a separate document because as
each project is accomplished, the range of options for
other projects – for possible building sites, for example
– is diminished, thus limiting the useful life of the
document. By contrast, the UAA Campus Master Plan
is a strategic document in which enduring principles of
campus organization and improvement are presented.
The purpose of the Capital Improvements Plan is to
present to the University’s decision makers the range
of options open to them in locating each new planned
facility. For any proposed new facility, available sites
on campus are limited by the supply of developable
land, by the ability to access and service the site
properly, by functional adjacency needs of the new
facility, and often by the need to relocate displaced
facilities, such as footpaths, utilities or parking.
The CIP is arranged by potential development sites,
some of which could satisfy the needs of several
different facilities, while others might be suited only to
a certain type of development, such as student housing.
The characteristics of each site are described, and a
conclusion is drawn as to which of the priority projects
identified in the master plan could be accommodated
on that particular site, and what ancillary
responsibilities must be funded as part of the project
for each site. Thus the basis for total construction cost,
as opposed to isolated facility construction costs, can be
generated when a decision on siting is imminent.
Characteristics of each site that are described include
applicable Municipality of Anchorage development
regulations, site dimensions, soil conditions,
availability of utilities and services, natural features
of the site – such as topography, trees and other
plant communities, views, solar access, and potential
points of connection to other parts of the campus. An
important decision related to specific site conditions
is whether parking is to be developed at that site, and
if so, what form it should take and where it should be
located to minimize interference with higher priority
attributes such as winter daylight, views, and safe
pedestrian access. Another important consideration is
the ability of the site to accommodate future expansion
of the facility, and if so, what cost premium, if any, is
attached to expandability. It might, for example, be
decided that when the need for expansion arises, then
an adjacent, older structure will be removed to make
space for it. The premium on expandability in this case
would be the deferred cost of relocating the functions
accommodated by the older building, and the costs
associated with demolition and site preparation.
Much of the strategic direction provided by the UAA
Campus Master Plan can be implemented through
application of the guiding principles, and design
guidelines. The Capital Improvement Plan provides
the tools for project specific implementation that is
consistent with the recommendations of the master
plan. It packages that information concisely so that
University decision-makers can have ready access to it,
and are thus enabled to make well-informed decisions
about the allocation of investment in campus facilities.
