The San Diego City Council unanimously approved the proposed expansion of La Jolla’s Salk Institute during its Oct. 21 council meeting. “The project adds 190,000 square feet to total 476,000,” said Mauricio Minotta, Salk’s director of communications. Polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk established the Salk Institute in the 1960s on land donated by the city; the Louis Kahn-designed buildings were designated historic landmarks in 1991. Recently, University City residents approved Salk’s plan, allowing the research institute to expand seven existing buildings to total 289,818 square feet, sitting on a 26.34-acre site. Community members accepted the institute’s proposal after battling over the expansion, with concerns about possible loss of the view corridor to the ocean between the two original buildings. The community plan allows for an additional 500,000 square feet. During the July meeting of the University Community Planning Group (UCPG), Salk representative Mark Rowson said the institute’s expansion plan would not meet certain conditions regarding the environmental report. So Salk decided to split the land into four parcels, Rowson said. UCPG members accepted Salk’s resolution. Rowson said the institute decided to grant one environmentally sensitive parcel as a conservation easement. “We’re granting a conservation easement over the South Peninsula,” Rowson said, adding that the institute would probably give that property to an environmental entity. “We’re subdividing the properties for financing purposes, but we always thought the south mesa was environmentally sensitive.” Rowson told UCPG that once Salk granted the conservation easement, no development could occur on the parcel. “The south mesa will be left unbuilt. It will be reserved as a natural habitat,” Minotta said. “One of the buildings we proposed to expand is the Torrey east building.” UCPG approved Salk’s project, sending it to the city’s planning commission and then the city council, which voted 8-0 in favor of the expansion. “We don’t have a start date because the next step is to raise funds,” Minotta said. Minotta said the project will cost about $250 million. “We haven’t started any fund-raising,” Minotta said. “The proj-ect stays true to the original wishes with Jonas Salk and preserves the iconic view of the Salk Institute to the Pacific Ocean.” For info on Salk’s Master Plan, go to www.salk.edu/master_plan. For info about UCPG, go to www.uc-planning-group.com.