A year and a half long planning process wrapped up in mid-August when Texas State University regents approved the university's master plan for 2017-27. The plan, which determines a path forward on projects, buildings and capacity issues, addresses needs on the San Marcos, Round Rock and STAR Park campuses.

At the San Marcos campus, the planning committee attempted to address four goals in its plan: increase academic and research capacity, augment campus support and infrastructure, enhance student experience and strengthen pedestrian corridors.

The plan seeks to address what the university is anticipating as 1.5 percent annual growth at the undergraduate level and 3 percent annual growth at the graduate level in the coming years. The committee concluded the school would need to add an additional 1.25 million square feet of academic space for this purpose, 500 new net beds, 200 new dining seats and 2,000 new parking spaces.

At a presentation on the plan Tuesday night, Eric Algoe, vice president of finance and support services, said the university should be able to build on property it already owns for the next 20 to 30 years, taking up zero additional property owned by the city of San Marcos.

The San Marcos plan focuses on three neighborhoods in particular: science and engineering, the Hilltop and performing arts. In the science and engineering neighborhood, the university plans to build a second pedestrian overpass over Comanche Street, a main roadway that cuts through campus. This is part of what Algoe is calling a "grey to green" movement.

The plan also is forecasting an increase in capacity for the Student Center and Student Health Center. Algoe said the university would like to build an additional outdoor recreational field on old golf course land that was wiped clean during flooding events.

Finally, parking will be addressed with three additional parking garages so students can continue parking on the outdoor edges of campus with faculty and staff parking in internal lots.

The plan in its entirety can be viewed here.

Texas State President Denise Trauth said Tuesday night that while this plan will likely determine much of the future of the university, it is also flexible with regard to changes in the next decade.

Trauth said the university has a "good certainty" for the next five years, with room to change and adapt in the following five.