URBANA, Ill. (AP) — The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is trying to rein in expansion of space on its campus.
The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports the university approved a new policy this summer for “zero net growth” as part of an effort to reduce its carbon footprint. According to the policy, construction or leasing new space won’t be permitted if it increases total square footage the campus uses or owns.
The policy’s goal is to stay within 21 million square feet, which was the campus’s total building square footage as of July 1, not including the university’s Research Park.
The university has a “space bank” that stores square footage from demolished buildings or vacated leased space. Planners of new buildings can deduct space from the bank.
