Much has happened since this site went up, and it will eventually be updated, but at this point it remains for historical purposes.

During the 1997/1998 school year, controversy arose over the future of some 406 acres of the Cal Poly Pomona campus. This land, located along the south and west edge of the campus, currently encompasses the Spadra landfill, the University’s Center for Regenerative Studies, portions of the Department of Agriculture’s livestock units and grazing areas, and natural wildlands containing rare California Black Walnut trees and Coastal Sage Scrub habitat.

The controversy developed over a proposal for creation of an 18-hole golf course within this area. The proposed golf course, driving range and clubhouse would occupy land throughout this area and directly take up approximately 125 acres. Several alternative golf course layouts have been proposed by Cal Poly’s administration. Each of the different layouts has different features and environmental impacts. Of these alternatives, Alternative A is the least impacting to the wildlands and spares the largest quantity of the Black Walnuts. However, in order for this alternative to be developed, the Department of Agriculture’s livestock units will need to be relocated to another location

Discussions of how all these lands are to be used, both in meetings and electronically over the Internet, have raised the awareness that the campus community is concerned and wishes to be a part of the decision making process for this land.

In response to this concern, the University has enlisted a number of faculty and others to prepare a study of land use options and a strategy for multiple land use for this land. This article summarizes this effort to date and seeks to engage the campus community in further constructive dialogue on this matter.

Further description of the proposed Golf Course can be found at http://www.csupomona.edu/~landlab/golf.

Purpose

The intent and purpose of this study is to explore a variety of land uses and prepare a strategy for multiple use of this land as part of the University and as a public resource. This study seeks to measure the campus community’s feelings for how this land should be used and enlist support for this multi-use vision. As such, the study is ongoing and seeks response from the campus community at this time.

President Suzuki has stated that the uses of this land should:

• Support the mission of the University
• Enhance the quality of life and academic experience for the university community
• Adopt an environmentally enriching approach to planning, construction and operational practices.
• Become a profit center for the University

This Multi-Use Development Strategy seeks to balance evolving optimal land uses that are economically and environmentally sustainable, serving many purposes with few adverse impacts. The Multi-Use Development Strategy is intended to illustrate a vision of how the University can be of service to society by using these public resources to provide education, research, and demonstrations of better land-use practices for the future

It should also be noted that Cal Poly Pomona, along with all of the other universities within the California State University system, has substantial financial operating difficulties due to a 10% drop in State appropriations for the university several years ago. At the same time, there has been a 9% rise in student fees and tuition.

The Chancellor of the California State University system has stated that to make up shortfalls in operating budgets all of the universities in the system should be looking toward additional sources of funds in addition to State appropriations. Since each university has different resources and means to consider in making up this shortfall, there has been discretionary latitude available toward making up the shortfalls. No fixed amount has been established for each university to make up their shortfalls however, a target that has been discussed and generally held is 10% of each operating budget. At Cal Poly Pomona, the general fund appropriations from the State was approximately $126 million dollars in the 1996-97 budget. Therefore, it is incumbent upon Cal Poly Pomona to utilize all its available means and resources to raise approximately $12 million annually to achieve a budget level similar to that available prior to the 10% drop in State appropriations. A great deal of the funds raised to date have come from private donors, alumni, corporate sponsorships and other philanthropic organizations however, all sources of additional revenues are being considered. Therefore, Cal Poly Pomona has undertaken a management approach to consider all of its activities and resources from this financial perspective.

Process

Over the course of this past summer, Mark Von Wodtke, Professor of Landscape Architecture, and several other colleagues in the College of Environmental Design including Brooks Cavin and Jared Ikeda; Curtis Clark of the Department of Biological Sciences; Ted Humphrey, Department of English; and Mark Smith of Pario Research, have been working to bring together a study of multiple land uses that could be considered for the 406-acre proposed golf course site.

It is important that this planning study is as inclusive as possible, encouraging participants who will support and eventually help implement a plan. Therefore, the process must continue to be one of gathering information and disseminating it to the campus community and seeking direct involvement of interested faculty, staff, administrators, students and the campus community, as well as soliciting input into the planning process.

To date, the process is one of:

• Articulating goals, policies and guidelines for the Multi-Use Development Strategy
• Gathering and compiling existing available information
• Identifying existing landscape features and linkages
• Identifying candidate land uses
• Preparing a suggested land use development plan for discussion purposes
• Comparing and evaluating alternatives (including the proposed golf course)
• Disseminating the information through this Multi-Use Strategy Website, Poly Post and Fall Conference presentation.

Since a great deal of discussion on this matter has previously occurred through campus e-mail, this has become an accepted means to involve the many people who have expressed interest. As information and discussion becomes available we will be sharing this information online, inviting response.

With the publication and distribution of this material on the Multi-Use Strategy Website, in the Poly Post and at the Fall Conference, it is anticipated that greater involvement of the campus community can occur and response to the material can be measured.