University of Houston is looking for land and planning for a second branch campus in the Katy area to accommodate more students, university officials said.

“A UH System task force has been working for several weeks, looking at land options, and another task force is in place to determine academic program delivery,” said Richard Phillips, UH associate provost of outreach and community engagement.

The current capacity of the UH Cinco Ranch campus is 37,000 square feet and has accommodated an average of 1,000 students for the last several years, Phillips said.

Phillips said a new location would address both capacity and accessibility issues.

“The intent is to start with a building no less than 60,000 square feet,” Phillips said.

With population growth in the Katy area, officials with the UH system are conducting a demographic analysis of the region and plan to conduct a survey to develop a more precise academic program for the second campus, Phillips said.

The UH Cinco Ranch campus is located at 4242 S. Mason Road. It is one of four UH campuses: others are located in Clear Lake, Houston and Victoria.

“UHS received $46.83 million in capital construction bonds to buy land and build the first classroom building,” Phillips said.