The University of California plans to increase the size of UCSF by more than 50 percent in the next few years. This expansion would accommodate large-scale developments on behalf of the university, such as the construction of a 30-story hospital on Parnassus Heights.
The plan already has prompted three lawsuits. Many critics say that it violates an agreement made by the university in 1976 to reduce its footprint in the area. A new court ruling has brought the project to a halt.
An Alameda County Superior Court Judge ordered a temporary restraining order on Friday. The judge cited that the project threatened a set of historic murals on campus.
The Zackheim murals have been around since 1936. And while the university says that it can successfully relocate the murals without damage, community groups disagree.
They’re looking to ban the university’s expansion as a whole. As a result, a number of neighborhood coalitions are planning to take the UC back to court on September 16th, where they will ask for a permanent injunction on the university’s development.