It is the most ambitious Montlake Makeover since 1909.
The University of Washington continues to move forward on its 'Master Plan' which could create 6 million additional square feet of construction. The plan, which has been in the works for a couple of years, is inching closer to finalization after a Seattle City Council committee hearing Wednesday.
Council members reviewed resolutions which may guide the implementation of the overall plan, including zoning, transportation, and affordable housing.
"It's ambitious, it's exciting," says former Seattle Councilmember Sally Clark, who is now the UW's Director of Regional and Community Relations, and helping guide the plan. "There is room to grow on the campus."
Clark says most of the focus is on the west and south sides of campus, near Portage Bay. The university has been working on the vision for the past couple of years and will need the city's cooperation to carry it out.
Clark says there is a definitive need for growth, "If we assume the economy is kind of the same way -- and that a college education is still one of the surest paths to stability and a great life, yeah, we're going to grow, we're going to grow probably 2 percent a year."
A Portage Bay Park is already under development, and UW sees a chance for construction around it, near the Agua Verde Restaurant and Paddle Club. UW forecasts close to 53,000 students will attend the school by 2028, and a 20 percent increase in faculty and staff.
They would be some of the biggest changes in the neighborhood since the Alaska Yukon Pacific Expo in the spot more than 100 years ago. This legislative process may still take more than a year to play out, and final city legislation isn't likely until 2019 at the earliest.
The UW Board of Regents still needs to approve plans, and there is still a question of the mix of public and private financing to carry out the vision.
"We have one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, we want to keep it that way," says Clark.
