Athletic District

The Athletic District comprises a mix of student residences and the majority of the university’s athletic facilities. The residence halls make up the north side of the district, with a relatively compact layout of complexes and small gathering spaces, including a small west-facing amphitheater and a basketball court and ice rink in the winter. The south side of the district contains athletic facilities, including the student focused fitness areas as well as spaces for the university’s sports teams to host games as well as other special events.

Boundaries The Athletic District is approximately 67.9 acres and is bound by Main Street to the north, Spear Street to the east, the Burlington Country Club to the south, and the Redstone District to the west. The Burlington-South Burlington boundary line bisects the Athletic District and subsequently apportions 52.2 acres in Burlington and 15.7 acres in South Burlington. Description of Existing The district contains 30 UVM-owned buildings and primarily includes residence halls (Marsh-Austin Tupper Complex, Living Learning Complex, Harris-Millis Complex, and the University Heights Complex) and the PatrickForbush-Gutterson Athletic Complex (P-F-G). The Patrick Gymnasium and the Gutterson Field House were both built in 1961 and have had several additions and renovations

since that time, including the Gutterson Field House expansion and renovation in 1991 that provided more seating for UVM’s hockey teams, the Gucciardi Fitness Center addition constructed in 1999, and several locker room renovations. The Gutterson Parking Garage was built in 2005 to accommodate the parking demand for daily use and events. The P-F-G complex recently underwent renovations to better accommodate academic programs and athletic events and to provide improved facilities to promote health, fitness, and wellness. The scope of work included the expansion and upgrade of fitness, recreation, wellness, and intramural facilities as well as the creation of academic support spaces, upgraded venues for hockey and basketball, and improved locker rooms, training facilities, meeting spaces, and offices. The renovations comprised of a group fitness facility in the northern portion of the existing Multipurpose area and a new Multi-Activity Court (MAC) in the existing Gymnastics building. There are plans in the future to construct a new On-Campus Multipurpose Center (OCMC, The Tarrant Event Center) adjacent to the existing Gutterson Field House that will be used for basketball as well as for a variety of events.

The Athletic District also includes several outdoor venues that comprise the Archie Post Athletic Complex, including Moulton Winder Field opened in 2005, the Frank H. Livak Track and Field Facility opened in 2011, and Virtue Field that has been developed in phases starting in 2012. There are also two intramural fields and a 1.5-mile walking/running path that runs along the western and southern boundaries of the district and connects to the South Burlington Recreation Path.

Architectural Features, Styles, and Materials

Athletic District

Goals The overall goals for the Athletic District are to provide quality living conditions for students and to foster health, fitness, and wellness by improving existing buildings and constructing new facilities that provide spaces that are versatile, accessible, and adaptable to accommodate a variety of social, cultural, recreational, and athletic events and activities. Other goals include improving connections across Main Street from the Athletic District to the Central District, improving pedestrian mobility routes along Spear Street, improving the stormwater feature between the University Heights North and South Complexes, improving the existing amphitheater between Austin Hall and Millis Hall, and preserving the expansive views to the Green Mountains.

Architectural Guidelines Although there are currently no buildings in the Athletic District on the National Register of Historic Places, the potential for any properties in this campus area to be eligible for listing on the state and National Register of Historic Places should be considered. For buildings and features eligible for listing on the Vermont or National Register of Historic Places, all repairs, additions, and modifications should comply with the Secretary of Interior Standards for Rehabilitation in the introduction of this chapter and be coordinated with VDHP.

There are many International Style buildings in the Athletic District, including the Living/Learning Complex, the HarrisMillis Complex, the Marsh-Austin-Tupper Complex, Patrick Gymnasium, and the Gutterson Field House. The Gucciardi Fitness Center was added to the south façade of the Gutterson Field House in 1999 and offers a modern style constructed with glass and steel that is elevated over an open first story supported by concrete columns. The Tarrant Event Center is planned for the east side of the P-F-G Complex and will include a semi-cylindrical barrel-vault roof that echoes the form of the Gutterson Field House. The University Heights Complex is designed in the Postmodern Style with steep gable roofs that pierce the otherwise flat roof lines that dominate most of the district.

If a flat roof is part of the design for a new structure, consider use of the roof for a green roof, solar panels, natural lighting, or other creative and sustainable uses. The steel and glass facades used for the Harris-Millis Commons renovation in 2007 complements the existing buildings with a design that is clearly different and more modern than the existing buildings, yet respects the scale, massing, height, and materials of the original architecture. Any new development should also preserve viewsheds to the Green Mountains and have minimal impacts to the open space used for intramural sports or recreation.

Landscape Guidelines As mentioned in the architectural guidelines, efforts should be made to preserve viewsheds to the Green Mountains and to preserve the open spaces used for sports, recreation, and social gathering. Enhancements to the accessibility and interpretation of the watercourse that runs between the University Heights South and North Complex can better educate the public on how rainwater is channeled through the bio-retention area. Improving accessibility and comfort in the circular amphitheater that is adjacent to the bioretention pond can further enhance this area as a multi-functional gathering, educational, and activity space. Other green stormwater management solutions are also recommended around the large surface parking areas, including the Marsh-Austin-Tupper parking lot, the Harris-Millis parking lot, and around the Gutterson Parking Garage. New walking paths and bicycle lanes are also recommended along Spear Street to provide safer and more efficient pedestrian mobility through and around this district and would be the responsibility of the city of South Burlington. Although the northeast corner of the district (informally known as the Marsh-Austin-Tupper Green) is identified as a general campus use land bank, preserving the open space that is currently utilized by students for informal recreation should also be considered for any future development.

Development Potential In addition to the future Tarrant Event Center that is located on an athletic land bank identified in the 2006 Campus Master Plan, there are also general campus use land banks located on the northeast corner of the district (referred to above) and one land bank in the recreation field in the southwest corner of the district.

Considerations Plans and supplemental information related to the planning, design, and approval of a typical building and/or landscape architecture campus project: • UVMoves Active Transportation Plan • 2011 Housing Master Plan • 2018-2019 Housing Master Plan Market Study • Facilities Sustainability Plan • National and VT State Register of Historic Places • Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation

Land Banks - Athletic District

Athletic District Boundary General Campus Use Athletic