This Campus Master Plan plays an important role in shaping the evolution of the Campus, but it further impacts the evolution of the city itself. It serves as a long term decision-making framework to guide the physical evolution of the Campus.

For this reason, the Campus Master Plan should figure prominently in the University’s planning processes. It should be referred to throughout all development planning and design processes so that it can effectively influence the each project’s design in a comprehensive manner. All decisions regarding the physical form and ongoing management of the Campus should be consistent with the Plan and make reference to it. It should also be widely distributed amongst members of the Board of Governors, staff, faculty, students, and members of the broader Brandon community.

Plan Governance & Jurisdiction

The Plan will be used by BU as part of its strategic planning framework to plan and implement different projects in order to enhance and grow the Campus. An office dedicated to implementing the Plan, a Campus Master Plan Review and Evaluation Committee, should be created that consists of members from the Planning and Development Committee as well as members from the Board of Governors.

Ultimate authority over the Plan and its implementation will rest with the Board of Governors who have decision-making authority over major capital projects. Any revisions to the Plan must be undertaken in a transparent and collaborative process that involves the broader Brandon University community, and are subject to the approval of the Board of Governors.

Plan review process

The Plan Frameworks are structured to deliver on creating an attractive and inclusive quality environment, on building campus identity and recognition, on achieving a quality campus lifestyle, and on placemaking for the University and community. The Campus Master Plan Review Process is intended to ensure the delivery of these objectives as the Campus gets implemented over the long term. The review process should be flexible enough to allow for a comprehensive plan overview in the event that new opportunities or new approaches to the Plan arise that prove to be of a greater benefit to the University in the long term.

Generally, the Plan should be reviewed approximately every 5 years. There should be at least two review periods during each of the recommended phases of development outlined in Section 4.2 Development Phasing. A stakeholder engagement process should be included in the planning of every five year review period.

Project Review

As projects come forward, any project, whether major or minor, constituent or communal, should be considered comprehensively in the context of the Vision for the Campus, and should be evaluated against the Principles, policies and design objectives of the Campus Master Plan.

For any given development project, a “Project Intent” report should outline all possible opportunities to achieve synergies with other development initiatives that are either happening concurrently or are being considered in the future. In this way, design ideas and potentially funding, can be consolidated toward achieving larger pieces of the vision, and to ensure that the project under review is complementary to future built form and open space opportunities in the same area.

Built form and open space projects should always be considered together. For each new planned building, there should be a plan for the development of an adjacent open space or the enhancement of an adjacent existing open space and their corresponding circulation. As the public realm is one of the primary opportunities to build community, integrate the University, and develop as a welcoming University District, priority consideration should be given to creating meaningful, useable, accessible, and connected places on campus that are well defined by the built form.

City Partnerships and Approvals

While decision-making authority for this Plan rests with the Brandon University Board of Governors, the City of Brandon is anticipated to play a key role in assisting the University with the development and enhancement of the Campus. Cooperation between the City and University is of particular importance in regards to the enhancement of the public realm, including connectivity to the campus, addressing safe pedestrian access, and in the beautification of the city’s streetscape interface to the Campus. This is particularly important for 18th Street and Victoria Avenue street character, traffic speeds and signalization, and pedestrian crossings. It also includes traffic and street character considerations for Lorne Avenue, and of 20th Street as it develops. This Plan recognizes that these streets and right-of-ways are ultimately the jurisdiction of public agencies, but the University welcomes the opportunity to discuss how the design and provision of this infrastructure can be aligned with the Vision for the Campus.

As the Plan unfolds, particularly at the onset of development projects, the University will continue to engage and work with the City in the context of project development review and coordination as part of the City’s development approval process of campus projects. The City should continue to be a key stakeholder in the development of the Plan and should also be engaged during the five year review intervals.

Amending the Plan

If, and when, amendments of substance to the Campus Master Plan are required, these should be undertaken in a manner that recognizes the imperative of engaging the broader Brandon community—students, staff, faculty, the City, Indigenous community leaders, and surrounding residents.

Revisions to the Plan should be approved by the Board of Governors, and by any other regulatory bodies, as required.