Take a good look at UL’s campus, because in 15 years, it won’t look too much the same.

UL officials are in the final stages of developing a master plan to guide the campus’s growth.

Planners say more green spaces, better transit options, mixed land use, improved housing and a less vehicle-dependent community will boost UL’s regional and national standings while helping Lafayette as a whole.

"If we’re going to compete on a regional basis, we need to do this sooner rather than later," said Steven Oubre, an architect leading the project. "In the past 15 to 20 years, places like Mobile (Ala.), Shreveport, Baton Rouge and Beaumont (Texas) have begun to compete at a pretty high level."

Oubre and his team of designers held the final charrette, or feedback forum, Wednesday night to present initial concepts included in the plan and to gauge public feedback.

The plan Oubre is developing divides UL’s properties into three main areas. Each area is drawn to have a "10-minute walking radius," meaning pedestrians can easily and quickly move within the area.

The plan emphasizes connectivity between the three areas, and officials want to use either an improved bus system or an elevated tram as well as more bicycle paths and pedestrian walkways to move students and community members between the three zones.

The first such area is the main campus, or the academic core. Its 10-minute walking radius is centered on Olde Tyme Grocery. Officials are considering building a parking garage across the street from the restaurant.

Next is the university commons, which includes the research facilities and athletic venues in the West Congress Street area. Its 10-minute walking radius is centered on the intersection of West Congress Street and Cajundome Boulevard.

Lastly, planners are considering options of how to develop the old Our Lady of Lourdes hospital. UL is negotiating to buy the property, and officials are optimistic the university will be able to acquire the facility.

Each of these areas will have mixed land uses combining academic, commercial and living areas.

Some of the bold, big-picture ideas being discussed for the plan include:

» Construction of three parking garages peripherally located on the campus.

» Officials have discussed a "more luxurious bus system" with an approximately $28 million price tag. Oubre said students are split between favoring the parking garage or a new bus system if only one or the other could become a reality.

» Another transit option officials are considering an elevated tram that would partner with local government. Oubre said he’d like it to run about 1.5 miles from Cajun Field back to St. Mary Boulevard.

» Revamping pedestrian paths by widening sidewalks and adding landscaping.

» Modifying current streets and eliminating current parking to create bicycle lanes and paths on campus. One plan includes cutting St. Mary Boulevard from four lanes of traffic down to two in either direction, with the current outside lines being converted into bicycle paths.

» Moving nursing and other programs to the old Our Lady of Lourdes hospital. That site would become a major part of campus, connected by transit options and pedestrian paths.

» Connecting St. Landry Street to Cajundome Boulevard.

» Building up the research park along West Congress Street to include mixed-use development that partners with private industry and connects with the Cajundome and Cajun Field.

» A possible retirement community for UL graduates in the West Congress Street area.

» Expanding the Cajundome Convention Center by 48,000 square feet and building a 300-room hotel connected to the center.

» Building a new 100,000-square-foot performing arts center diagonally across from the Cajundome. Oubre said the center could seat as many as 2,200 people but could also accommodate crowds as small as 500 people. "It has to be flexible, or else it will be dark too many nights of the year," he said.

» Urbanizing the West Congress Street corridor with buildings between four and six stories lining either side of the street. Those buildings would combine retail and living spaces.

» Building an amphitheater next to Cajunfield that could host pre-game events.

» Increasing Cajunfield’s seating capacity and building retail centers and athletic offices around the stadium.

» Building new housing for nontraditional students, such as those who are married.

» Building a new international student center.

Construction on the Student Union starts next fall, and Oubre said the area surrounding the union will also be converted to mixed-use development. "It’s going to be a 24-hour component," Oubre said. "It will be the town hall of campus."

Oubre said the university will use a mixture of funding — student fees, state and federal dollars and private donations — to accomplish the goals set in the master plan.

"It can be a reality," Oubre said of the plan.

Oubre said he’ll take the next three months to finalize the master plan, which will then be given to UL’s administration for approval.

"This process," Oubre said, "is not over tonight, but it is a snapshot of where we are at this point."