UC Merced one step closer to joining city limits
Plan to annex the campus property wins OK from Planning Commission
Students are shown walking down Scholars Lane on the campus of UC Merced. Photo courtesy Sam Yniguez, UC Merced.
By BRIANNA VACCARI
Central Valley Journalism Collaborative
OCT. 6, 2023
MERCED, Calif. (CVJC) – UC Merced is one step closer to being brought into the city limits, signaling Merced’s future growth north toward the campus.
The Merced Planning Commission on Wednesday approved a pre-zoning application to annex the property via a narrow strip of land that would run along Bellevue Road eastward toward the university.
The plan still must be approved by city and county officials. The City Council on Oct. 16 is set to consider a memorandum of understanding with the university regarding the annexation, city staff said during the planning commission meeting. The matter then will be up to Merced County’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), which is scheduled to meet Oct. 19 and Dec. 14.
“This is just 20 years in the making, and we’re finally getting to this point,” Commissioner Anthony Gonzalez said. “So, it’s really good to see it come to a close.”
The annexation would be a significant milestone not only in bridging the geographical distance between the city and campus but in unifying the university community with Merced. The campus currently sits about seven miles from downtown Merced, tucked between Lake Yosemite and cow pastures, beyond sight of even the city’s northern-most neighborhoods.
Map of UC Merced annexation and pre-zoning application. Credit: City of Merced
Plan fits with city’s future growth
The annexation is necessary to chart the future growth of the city toward the university. Already, commercial and residential development in the city is headed that way.
Daniel T. Okoli, UC Merced’s vice chancellor and chief operating officer, told the planning commission the university’s students will appreciate being more closely tied to the community.
“Many of our undergraduate and graduate students seek the opportunity to live and be more closely integrated with the community,” Okoli said. “The addition of amenities to complement the existing art and cultural activities available in downtown Merced, recreation at Lake Yosemite, along Merced’s miles of bike paths and walking trails, will ensure UC Merced remains an attractive option for students looking for a vibrant and active college town experience.”
The annexation was made possible by the state legislature’s approval in 2020 of AB 3312, sponsored by then-state Assemblymember Adam Gray (D-Merced), which permits the annexation through a two-mile strip of Bellevue Road from G Street to Lake Road.
Much of the land in the area north of Merced is part of the Virginia Smith Trust, which was established in 1971 upon the death of the longtime Mercedian. In her will, Smith wrote that the 7,000 acres of land must be used for educational purposes. In the late 1990s, about 2,000 acres of the trust’s land was donated for the purpose of building the UC Merced campus. Future plans include using an additional 1,240 acres for development of commercial shops, housing, schools and a future business park.
The city already provides some services for the university’s campus, including water, sewer and some transportation services. That will continue, and, if annexed, the city also will provide fire protection services. The university will continue to operate its own police department.
An additional environmental review for the annexation, required under state law, didn’t raise any major concerns.
Brianna Vaccari is the government accountability/watchdog reporter for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a nonprofit newsroom based in Merced.