Washington State University Vancouver is growing up.
And with its age, the university is showing signs of growing pains.
With enrollment swelling from 2,300 in spring 2007 to about 3,300 now, the university is in the beginning phases of updating its 2007 master plan, which will set a vision for future growth at the Salmon Creek campus. The final draft is slated for completion in May.
“It’s been 10 years since they had their master plan reviewed or approved,” said Marty Snell, Clark County’s community development director. Clark County must approve the master plan before it goes into effect.
“They’re changing circumstances,” he went on.
There’s a few changes already on the agenda. The latest draft of the plan doesn’t include the construction of Vancouver iTech Preparatory school. Bond-funded work on a new campus for the Vancouver Public Schools science and technology magnet school, located at WSU Vancouver, is underway. Plans for an extension research facility will be removed from the master plan.
And, most significantly, is the possible inclusion of WSU Vancouver adding undergraduate housing to its campus. Doing so would require Clark County approval, as the university property’s zoning doesn’t allow for undergraduate housing.
At an open house Monday, university staff and community members milled around, reviewing campus maps and leaving their comments.
Kelly Keane, a project manager for the university, was among them.
When completed, the plan will reflect student needs, community feedback and trends in the university’s student body, she said.
“We have to grow in a way that’s smart and benefits us all,” Keane said.
Lynn Valenter, the college’s vice chancellor for finance and operations, listed the consideration of undergraduate housing among the most significant changes coming to WSU Vancouver. Offering housing at what’s traditionally been a commuter campus will offer students more options in their college experience, she said.
“It can help those students stay focused and successful,” Valenter said.
Not all are eager about what’s to come for WSU Vancouver.
Mike Landstrom, president of the Mount Vista Homeowners Association, lives adjacent to the campus. Landstrom said he’s been frustrated with traffic in his neighborhood and lights from the nearby parking lot on the north side of campus. The university, he claims, hasn’t done enough to work with neighbors to reduce spillover traffic and light at night.
“Why can’t we get anyone to work with us to get it resolved?” Landstrom said.
Landstrom was at Monday’s open house and plans to submit comments online.
“I hope they’re reviewed,” he said. “They’re all I can ask.”
That’s not a concern for Snell, however, whose department manages code enforcement for Clark County. He minimized Landstrom’s concerns — ones he’s heard before from a different resident — saying the university has adequately mitigated the impact of the parking lots and lights on the surrounding neighborhood.
“I think there’s a time at which you have to make a decision, is this a reasonable accommodation for any reasonable thinking person?” Snell said. “And the answer is yes.”
WSU Vancouver will accept comments until 5 p.m. Feb. 16. Visit https://events.vancouver.wsu.edu/master-plan-public-comment-form to leave feedback. The university will also host additional open houses in the spring.
