Last year, the University partnered with master planning firm NBBJ to develop a 10-year plan for the University. On Feb. 14, a draft of the Comprehensive and Strategic Campus Master Plan was presented to University leadership for comment before final revisions. The presentations will last until Feb. 16.
“We’ve developed a 10-year master plan that we think not only provides for the future growth of academic programs, research and all the other activities on campus, but also starts to set in motion a transformational change to the campus to make it into an even greater place than it is right now in terms of a place to be in and experience,” said Kim Way, NBBJ director of urban design and planning.
Notable features of the Master Plan include the demolition of Middleton Library, Lockett Hall and many non-residential buildings in the south campus area. A new library will be built as well as academic-purposed buildings in south campus near Patrick F. Taylor Hall.
The plan also seeks to push much of the parking on campus to the edge of campus, realign traffic routes to relieve congestion and add residential space.
The demolition of Middleton, Lockett and the non-residential space is estimated to save the University $136 million in deferred maintenance costs. The demolitions will also open up green space in the historic core of campus. To account for the space lost through demolitions, the plan looks to better utilize classrooms, increasing their usage from around 22 hours per week to 30 hours per week.
Student Government hosted a students-only open forum to comment on the plan on Feb. 15. There will be a second forum on Feb. 16 for University faculty, staff and the general public. Details on the Master Plan can be found on the interactive website at http://www.masterplanlsu.com.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article said the deferred maintenance savings were $477 million. The actual estimated savings are $136 million.