Impact Report for New UC Davis Primate Center Labs

Impact Report for New Primate Center Labs
February 2, 2007


A focused environmental impact report on five new buildings proposed for the California National Primate Research Center is now available for public review and comment. Public comments will be accepted through March 7, 2007.

The new buildings will allow the center to enhance its facilities for research, especially on infectious diseases and stem cells, and consolidate research activities into modern facilities. The new facilities would not increase the number of monkeys housed at the center or provide additional animal housing. The facilities would add about 20 employees to the center.

The buildings will provide additional laboratory and office space for growing areas of research, including virology, immunology and stem cells. The buildings include a 10,000-square-foot building for research in virology and immunology, including 1,100 square feet for a biosafety level 3 (BSL3) laboratory.

The others will be modular buildings of about 1,500 square feet each, including two laboratory and two office buildings. The modular buildings would be used for studies on stem cells as well as for general biomedical research. All the buildings would be located on the grounds of the California National Primate Research Center, to the west of the main campus.

An initial study by UC Davis' Office of Resource Management and Planning, published in October, 2006, found that any anticipated environmental impacts of the proposed project were covered by the environmental impact report for the campus's Long Range Development Plan, published in 2003. However, an additional focused environmental impact report was prepared to address impacts in more detail.

This latest report finds that the project-specific impacts would be less than significant, and no project-specific mitigation measures beyond those already set out in the campuswide environmental impact report are required.

A public meeting will be held Feb. 22, 2007, at 7 p.m. at the University Club, UC Davis campus, to receive comments as part of the formal public record.

Copies of the draft focused EIR, the initial study and of the LRDP report, are available from: the UC Davis Office of Resource Management and Planning; the Reserves Desk, Shields Library on the UC Davis campus; the Yolo County Public Library in Davis; Vacaville Public Library, Vacaville; and online at http://www.ormp.ucdavis.edu/environreview/.

Additional information:
Office of Resource Management and Planning


Media contact(s):
• Andy Fell, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-4533, ahfell@ucdavis.edu