Starting today, UL will add about 16,000 people to its campus as students start the first day of the fall semester.

The population and its infrastructure make the campus a city within itself, but as Lafayette continues to grow outward, UL officials worry that the same won’t be possible for the university.

“We’re OK for the next 10 years,” said Tom Sammons, a UL architecture professor, who leads students as they tackle smart growth planning projects for cities in Acadiana, most recently Delcambre and Cameron. “But the fair question in the next 10 to 20 years is: How will the university grow? That’s a big issue for us.”

The university owns a total of 1,390 acres, 137 of those are on its main campus. Its original quad and a new one its developing are the only greenspace on the main campus.

One hundred years ago, space wasn’t an issue. Sammons said around 1912, the university was on the outskirts of the city and by 1953, South College was just a gravel road.

“Cities are expanding. The university’s the same as a city, a city based on nature of learning,” Sammons said. “We have room for maybe two to three academic buildings and new dorms. After that, we will have to find options of expanding our campus proper.”

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Marsha Sills
msills@theadvertiser.com