A draft report examining the potential environmental impacts of facility expansion and improvements to the Tercero housing area in the central campus at UC Davis is now available for public review and comment.

The Tercero Housing Improvement Project includes a new dormitory, housing 1,200 first-year students, renovation and expansion of the existing Tercero dining commons building and the construction of a new centralized catering kitchen building for the UC Davis campus. The proposed project would increase the occupied Tercero area by approximately six acres.

The proposed housing expansion will include three phases, each providing two new buildings, housing approximately 200 first-year students each. The buildings will each be four-stories tall, approximately 50,000 gross square feet (gsf), and will include a lounge and study space, a main floor entry and a lobby area. Phase 1 construction will start in 2004, with occupancy expected in 2005. Phase 2 will start in 2005, with occupancy expected in 2007, and phase 3 will start in 2007, with occupancy expected in 2010.

With the proposed renovation, the Tercero dining commons would expand by 25,000 gsf but would remain a two-story structure. The expansion will take place on the south, west and east sides of the building and will include increased baking facilities, meal serving, a student lounge, a maintenance shop, and study space on the first floor. The second floor will include dining room space and facility support space.

The proposed catering kitchen building will consist of a two-story, 10,000 gsf structure west of the existing Tercero dining commons and east of Dairy Road. The building would include space for food preparation, food storage, restrooms, dishwashing, offices, a conference room and a loading dock for receiving food materials and for loading distribution trucks.

Based on the analysis presented in the Draft Tiered Initial Study, the campus proposes to adopt a Negative Declaration for the proposed project. Copies of the Draft Tiered Initial Study are available online at http://www.ormp.ucdavis.edu/environreview/ . Copies are also available at the UC Davis Office of Resource Management and Planning in 376 Mrak Hall on the UC Davis campus and the reserve desk of the Shields Library on campus; the Davis branch of the Yolo County Public Library at 315 E. 14th St. and the Vacaville Public Library at 1020 Ulatis Drive, Vacaville.

Comments may be submitted through March 25, 2003, to John A. Meyer, Vice Chancellor- Resource Management and Planning, 376 Mrak Hall, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, or e-mailed to environreview@ucdavis.edu.