ARCATA -- The ideal site scenario for what has been a bitterly disputed building slated to go up on the Humboldt State University campus will soon go out to bid.

HSU officials say the need the 89,000-square-foot, five-story Behavioral and Social Sciences Building to consolidate classrooms and offices, but the Union Street Association and city officials have said it would be an eyesore, that it's inappropriate for the area and would attract heavy traffic.

The city filed suit but lost its case, and an appeal was considered but never pursued.

University officials, including architects and Director of Physical Services Bob Schulz, met with members of the community Thursday and Friday to collect more input before seeking builders.

Arcata Director of Community Development Tom Conlon was at the meeting representing the city.

In meetings held earlier this month, the university gathered input on ways to minimize the impact the building would have on the nearby Union Street neighborhood, the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology and others while still filling the needs of the school.

At Friday's meeting, held in the Kate Buchanan Room of the University Center, they gathered input on a ranked list of priorities coming out of those earlier meeting and presented the ideal site plan. The building's orientation has been changed so that the Union Street neighborhood is presented with a less monolithic portion of the building.

After incorporating the public's input from this week, those priorities and the site plan will be sent out to bid.

In a design-build model, the contractors will be given a maximum dollar amount and will design a project that meets as many of the priorities of the university and community as possible, while still staying under budget.

The list of ranked priorities includes keeping the building as far away from Union Street as possible, reducing the visible mass of the building, easing the flow of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, using sustainable construction methods and utilizing good design to make the building aesthetically appealing.

"We're going to judge what's good or bad based on this criteria," Schulz said.

For meeting these priorities, contractors will be given quality points and the builder who combines the most points for the dollar will win the bid.

One message that was fairly clear at Friday's meeting is that the Buck House, which is home to the appropriate technology center, will have to be moved down the hill from its current location.

Ernie Yamana of the Steinberg Group, an architectural firm contracting with the school, said his team has been focused on minimizing impacts to the valuable program. But as they progressed in the process, they realized that the building would be uncomfortably close to the Buck House. In the ideal site plan, they move the house down the hill to gain more of a cushion.

The house will still be on its traditional plot of land, and representatives from the university and the appropriate technology center will continue to work on maintaining the quality of the center's allocated land.

"We've been working hard to minimize impacts to one of our treasured programs," Schulz said.

Several other issues were raised at the meeting, including the volume of foot traffic on Union Street, which may be alleviated by encouraging students to walk a different route with organized paths and trails.

Other issues raised were handicapped access, the location of a proposed elevator and access for service vehicles to the Forestry and Natural Resources Building.