Agenda

• Welcome

• Old Business
• Approval of September 4, 2014 minutes

• Subcommittee Reports
• Campus Planning & Design and Campus Resource Conservation Subcommittee
  • Centennial Campus Conference Center and Hotel
• Parking & Transportation Subcommittee

• New Business
• Campus Trees – Barbara Fair

• Next Meeting: December 5, 2014

Location: Administrative Services III Building, Room 301

Minutes

Winslow Hall Conference Room

Chair Barbara Fair called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m. The following voting members attended the meeting: Dick Bernhard, Karen DeWitt, Allen Emory, Barbara Fair, Gabriel Firestone, Zachary Harris, Matthew High, Yasmeen Mansour, Lauren Martz, Shannon Warchol, Chris Webster, and Willy Yamamoto.

EX-OFFICO: Jack Colby and Cathy Reeve

GUESTS: Brian Jones from Centennial Campus Development Office; Adam Pike from Stewart, Inc.; Doug Viehman from Concord Eastridge

NEW BUSINESS
Barbara Fair called the meeting to order. She said the new business item that was on the agenda concerning campus trees will be postponed until the university arborist is able to return to work and attend the meeting. At that time, she will ask for the committee’s input on how it can affect a positive change in the planting and maintenance practices of trees on campus.

OLD BUSINESS:
Barbara Fair called for a motion to approve the minutes for the September 4, 2014 meeting. The motion was made and seconded and minutes were unanimously approved.

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS:
CAMPUS PARKING & TRANSPORTATION SUBCOMMITTEE:
Barbara Fair asked Chris Webster for the subcommittee’s report. Webster said that Transportation provided a summary of its operations. Cathy Reeve said that Transportation will begin work on the 2015-2016 Parking and Transportation Plan in a few weeks.

CAMPUS PLANNING & DESIGN AND CAMPUS RESOURCE CONSERVATION SUBCOMMITTEE:
Barbara Fair asked Karen DeWitt for a summary of the subcommittee’s meeting concerning the Centennial Campus Conference Center and Hotel project. DeWitt said that the subcommittee recommended approval of the project with the condition that the following items be addressed:

• Since the site is isolated from the rest of campus and downtown, the site should accommodate transit buses to serve the hotel so those without vehicles can travel to other points on campus, downtown Raleigh, and other area destinations.
• The planting plan should be enhanced so that it contributes to a high quality, memorable experience for guests and visitors.

Dewitt asked Brian Jones to introduce the architects, Adam Pike from Stewart, Inc. and Doug Viehman from Concord Eastridge. They presented the project to the committee.

The hotel will be a Marriot Autograph Collection hotel with 164 rooms, a ballroom and meeting rooms. The site is east of the Park Alumni Center and is accessed from Alumni Drive. The project will use a detention pond that the Alumni Center project constructed. The pond had been sized for other storm water issues in this area, but the developers believed it would be of appropriate size to also handle the storm water from this new project site. The site falls 40 feet from the proposed hotel location to the existing detention pond. Parking is terraced to provide comfortable access to the hotel while taking up grade as much as possible. The remaining grade is accommodated by a series of retaining walls 5 to 7 feet in height.

The committee had a number of questions and suggestions following the presentation:

• Can the site handle large buses? Yes, it can handle 40-45 foot buses.
• Isn’t there a 4-story height limit on Centennial Campus? There is not.
• What kind of plants will be used? Developer is looking at plants that are native to North Carolina. The follow-up comment from committee was that care needs to be taken in the selection of native plants in the parking lot since the site offers many challenges due to excessive heat generated, among other issues.
• Could rain gardens be established in the parking lot? Due to 40-foot grade, that would not be feasible. There will be water catchment areas along the sides of the parking lot where storm water will be captured and piped to the detention pond.
• Will the area between the building and Lake Raleigh remain a natural area? Cutting in that area is not permitted.
• Could a green roof be considered? It could not be considered for the entire structure due to weight and cost. Some smaller areas are being considered, but not likely, once again, due to cost.
• Is it possible to walk from the hotel to the golf course? It is possible, but not likely carrying a golf bag. Golf carts are being considered. However, safety is an overriding concern.
• Have traffic lights been considered at the intersection of Main Campus Drive and Alumni Drive? Traffic volume is not heavy enough to justify lights.
• How about a pedestrian crosswalk? That could be considered.
• Since the east side has a lower level entrance for deliveries, could pipe and drape be delivered there and taken through to the conference center on the other side? The interior in that area is not big enough.
• What type of Marriott will this be? It will be a boutique, 4-Star Marriott, uniquely branded for NC State.
• Can you describe the type of guests expected to stay at the hotel? Individuals attending social functions on campus such as weddings at the Alumni Center, sporting events. Others would be staying there to attend meetings sponsored by corporate and government enterprises on Centennial Campus.
• Could we review the plans for the project? Plans for this and all university projects are available for viewing and comment in the plan room on the third floor of Administrative Services III Building.

Chair Fair called for a vote on the project. After some discussion, the committee voted to approve the project with the proviso that the designers follow up with the committee on landscape issues noted above.

OTHER NEW BUSINESS:
There was no other new business. The committee adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

The next meeting of the full PEC is scheduled for December 4 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in Administrative Services III Building, Room 301.