Draft Environmental Impact Statement
and Notice of Public Meeting
Proposed New Suite-Style Residence Hall Project
UW-Whitewater
A public meeting to present the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed UW-Whitewater New Suite-Style Residence Hall project will be held at 5:30 PM on Thursday, May 8, 2008 at the UW‑Whitewater Welcome Center located at 826 Starin Road in the City of Whitewater. Free parking for this meeting is available in Lot 7 behind the Visitor Center. A brief description of the project will be presented, and all persons will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to identify both orally and in writing any issues or concerns they believe should be addressed in the Final EIS for this proposed project.
The proposed project will provide for construction of a new, five-story, student residence hall to replace Sayles and White Halls. The new facility will be located on a site along the west side of the campus, north of Carlson Hall, at the corner of N. Prince Street and W. Starin Road. The targeted capacity of the new residence hall is 446 residents, primarily juniors, seniors and graduate students. In addition there will be replacement commuter and resident parking lots constructed north of the proposed residence hall across Starin Road, and south of the new building adjacent to Carlson Hall. Construction of the project is anticipated to start in October 2008, with substantial completion targeted for June 2010.
Ayres Associates has been retained to prepare an EIS for the proposed New Suite-style Residence Hall project in accordance with sec. 1.11 Wis. Stats., relating to the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA). The intent of the Draft EIS is to identify the potential positive and negative impacts of the project on the physical, biological, social, and economic environments. Guidelines used by state agencies for implementing WEPA require preparation of a Draft EIS for major actions which may significantly affect the quality of the human environment. The Draft EIS is available to the public for a 45-day review period and is circulated to appropriate federal, state, and local agencies. Comments and inquiries raised on the Draft EIS are used to develop the Final EIS, which is circulated to the public and commenting agencies for a subsequent 30-day review period. A public hearing is then held on the Final EIS for additional comment. Following the public hearing, the University of Wisconsin System develops a conclusion on the findings of the EIS. This Record of Decision is circulated to key individuals and agencies involved in the EIS process.
The Draft EIS is being made available for a 45-day public review and comment period beginning April 1, 2008, and ending May 16, 2008. Copies of the EIS were made available at the UW-Whitewater Andersen Library, the City of Whitewater Public Library, and online at www.ayresprojectinfo.com/uw-w. Comments on the Draft EIS can be submitted until May 16, 2008. Please send comments to:
Mr. Ben Peotter, PE
Environmental Engineer
Ayres Associates
1802 Pankratz Street
Madison, WI 53704-4069
Comment forms can also be obtained via the project website at http://www.ayresprojectinfo.com/uw-w
