BERKELEY -- A road map for how the University of California, Berkeley will grow and change in the coming decades was released Thursday.

UC Berkeley could grow up to 18 percent by 2020, bringing more buildings and housing, but also traffic snarls, construction noise and impacts on cultural resources, the draft long-range development plan and environmental impact report shows.

The plan anticipates creation of up to 2,870 new jobs on campus by 2020, up to 2,600 more student-housing beds and at least 2,300 new parking spaces.

Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl said the land-use plan preserves the university's "rich architectural and cultural heritage" while supporting teaching and research facilities that are vital to the state's future.

UC campuses are required by the Board of Regents to create a new long-range development plan and environmental analysis every 15 to 20 years. UC Berkeley's current plan was adopted in 1990, university officials said.

The blueprint aims to protect and enhance historic structures while designating areas, including woodlands, glades and creeks, off limits to construction. It also shows where new landscaping projects and open space improvements would go.

However, campus growth will mean there will be "significant and unavoidable" environmental impacts, the environmental analysis found. Traffic snarls during commute hours are predicted at University Avenue and Sixth Street, and University and San Pablo avenues.

The plan shows that construction-related noise could exceed established limits, although the university will use muffling equipment whenever possible, university officials said.

The report also outlines plans for the Chang-Lin Tien Center for East Asian Studies, two buildings that would be built on the central campus near the Doe Library and Observatory Hill. The center could include a formal oval lawn and staircase, linking the North Gate entrance and Memorial Glade. The center would provide a new home for UC Berkeley's East Asian Library and programs focused on East Asia.

The public comment period for the plan and the environmental report runs through June 14. A final document will be submitted in the fall to the Regents for approval and certification.

Two public hearings on the documents are slated. The first is 7 to 9 p.m. May 5 at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. A May 11 hearing is scheduled from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Krutch Theatre of the university's Clark Kerr campus, 2601 Warring St. To view the draft plan, go to http://lrdp.berkeley.edu