A new campus master plan is under way at the University of Utah to keep up with growth and to better meet President Michael K. Young's vision for the future.

That vision includes a commitment to "the way the university plans for, designs, constructs and uses its buildings to contribute to the educational well-being of the students and the long-term sustainability of our campus," said Michael Perez, associate vice president of facilities management at the U.

The school's campus master plan has not been wholly revised since a 1997 development plan, portions of which were updated in 2003. This master plan, which is expected to span the next 20 years, will be the first update since President Young took over the university in 2004.

"Master planning is the framework that guides university development. It's typically a fluid document because things change over time," Perez said. "What it means is we want to create a comprehensive and integrated planning model and process that weaves the academic and student life with the physical planning."

The school's new plan will likely not include any drastic overhauls of current campus structure, but Perez said future needs like a research facility for the Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative will be considered.

"Things are changing and will always be changing, but that doesn't mean because we're doing a new master plan, we're going to have brand-new buildings or a whole new look. I can't imagine that being the case here," he said.

In particular, the new master plan will look at open space, transportation, parking and research locations.

The master plan will be in the development stage until May, and then will likely be refined following public comment. The final plan is expected by December.

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