Northern Arizona University presented its $2B updated campus master plan to the Arizona Board of Regents’ University Governance and Operations Committee earlier this month.
The plan gives a general guideline of possible new construction, renovations and maintenance for the Flagstaff campus for the next 10 years and marks the first update submitted to ABOR since 2010.
The plan was developed in consultation with DLR Group over the last 18 months.
The plan’s first phase focuses on so-called “enabling projects” that allow for future development, add housing and replace some academic buildings. The second phase would continue the first and make new additions across campus. The last phase focuses on the edges of the campus, details a new transportation center and addresses the potential for additional housing.
Phase I covers approximately five years of work at a cost of approximately $850M. Phase II would cost $490M, and Phase III—in plan years eight-10—would cost $680M.
Much of the plan’s focus shows a shift from creating new buildings toward renovations and addressing deferred maintenance, since renovating existing space is, generally, a more sustainable practice than building new. Plans include renovations at 23 buildings totaling 1.6MSF and addressing deferred maintenance costs of more than $82.3M.
Addressing deferred maintenance would include demolishing more than 250KSF at 11 buildings, which would remove $23M in deferred maintenance costs. NAU demolished a property on Milton Road in July, lowering costs by $11M.
Still, there are plans for six types of new buildings, which, taken altogether, would add 860KSF and more than 1,200 new beds to address the demand for on-campus housing.
The university currently has between 7,000 and 8,000 beds, as well as 3,000 more through American Campus Communities. The additional future beds would probably come through a project with ACC, according to officials.
The first deliveries of new housing would be two on-campus student apartment complexes of 500 beds each.
The plan also addresses items such as additional open spaces on campus, improved signage, new east-west pedestrian pathways, and relocating parking areas to the outskirts of campus to the extent possible.
ABOR will discuss and possibly approve the plan in its meeting this week. (Source)