Vision 2050 Town Hall presents focused plans for campus development

Community feedback still important to the process

SmithGroup’s Neil Kesler showing inspiration for Sixth Street improvements | Colton Moore | Argonaut

Vision 2050, a long-range development plan to improve the University of Idaho campus over the next 25 years, continues to pose solutions to community concerns and feedback about the project. A preliminary plan review took place on Monday, Nov. 4, offering refined plans for campus development to receive additional community feedback.  

Progress has reached the halfway point of the overall Vision 2050 planning process, which is set to conclude in May 2025. 

Still, studies and workshops are ongoing, and no plan has been selected as the final answer, Neil Kesler said at the meeting. Kesler is a senior principal at SmithGroup, the architecture planning firm working with UI on this project.  

Medicine, athletics, health and wellness recreation are Vision 2050’s main focuses. A few main ideas emerged from the previous rounds of community feedback, including enhancing student life and the campus experience, pedestrianizing campus, focusing multi-purpose uses for shared facilities and determining the legacy and heritage of aging facilities. 

Community members were asked to refine and prioritize ideas brought forth by SmithGroup’s drafts for architectural solutions. Though the academic core of campus is the priority in the plans, the North and West farm areas of the property are also under consideration.  

New buildings ranging from residence to athletic facilities, retaining and optimizing existing recreational areas and otherwise pedestrianizing campus for an enhanced campus experience are all on the docket for Vision 2050.  

There are also potential renovations to historic buildings on campus. Renovation candidates include the P1FCU Kibbie Dome, Phinney and Brink Halls and Forney and Hays Halls.  

“We have great, beautiful buildings on this campus. But sometimes on the inside they don’t always reflect the quality of education that’s happening,” Kesler said, regarding renovations. “[We’re] making sure that when we renovate buildings, we’re doing it both in a way that respects historic architecture but provides great new teaching and learning facilities.” 

Research, academic, athletic and student life facilities were suggested, largely around the east side of campus. Connecting the campus to Downtown Moscow through Hello Walk is also a primary objective of Vision 2050’s planning. Integration for medical education is another big idea that was retained from the previous town hall for community feedback, as well as strengthening east-to-west campus connections and enhancing residential experience. 

More residential halls are envisioned near the Wallace Residence Center and the Theophilus Tower, in place of Shoop and McConnell Halls. These new and improved residence halls would create a so-called residential sector of campus.  

Attendees give feedback to SmithGroup plans | Colton Moore | Argonaut
Attendees give feedback to SmithGroup’s plans | Colton Moore | Argonaut

More than 2,000 students living in the dorms reported the danger and inconvenience of crossing Sixth Street that runs through campus. Sixth Street still seems to be a main concern to the Vision 2050 team.  

The conclusion was Sixth Street’s closure; instead, transferring vehicular movement back through Paradise Creek Street by the Student Recreation Center. Rayburn Street will also be closed due to Sixth’s closure. Kesler suggested it also become a new pedestrian crossing. Bike paths, a roundabout drop-off road and plenty of trees and pedestrian paths are envisioned to replace the Sixth and Rayburn streets. 

While these north-to-south vehicular connections will potentially bring uncomfortable changes, east-to-west connections will strengthen through the new Hello Walk extension and refined paths from New and Old Greek Rows to the academic core of campus. 

In the proposed plan, the extension of Hello Walk creates a plaza of sorts as it loops around existing Greek houses. This new Hello Walk path will pass through a brand-new medical education facility sector, more residential housing and even a parking garage. Hello Walk will extend into Downtown Moscow, bridging the gap between campus and Downtown in an accessible and pedestrian solution. 

Any of these ideas are on the horizon for the UI campus and could become reality as the planning process gradually reaches its end. However, there is still time for students, faculty, staff and community members to voice their opinions on what they want the future of UI to look like. None of the ideas presented were permanent since Vandal voices in the process are important to the Vision 2050 team. 

Victoria Kingsmore can be reached at [email protected]. 

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