District Planning
The district planning initiative is a long-term planning effort that supports UTSA’s ongoing growth and continued development in San Antonio’s urban core, while also exploring space utilization at the Main Campus and Park West. District planning helps ensure students, faculty and staff have the academic, research and infrastructure support necessary for success.
District planning is an important part of UTSA’s campus master planning efforts, which began in 2019. The master plan serves as a roadmap to guide the university’s strategic growth, and district planning efforts will continue this important work. By engaging the entire Roadrunner community, district planning will ensure the vision for growth is in alignment with institutional goals as we strive to fulfil our academic mission.
District planning will address a wide variety of needs, including:
- Academic classrooms and research facilities
- Athletic and recreational facilities
- Infrastructure and safety
- Partnership opportunities to expand programs such as Backpacks and Briefcases and Classroom to Careers
- Revenue development opportunities
- Student housing and parking
- Student Success
- Sustainability
Through planning for long-term growth, district planning will also advance academic excellence, promote economic growth and amplify workforce development in San Antonio.
Engaging the Community
District planning will engage the full UTSA community. Led by the office of Real Estate and Property Management, the process will include close partnership with the academic colleges to learn more about space and infrastructure needs, as well as opportunities for the broader campus community to provide feedback.
Downtown Development
Looking to the future, efforts to develop the Downtown Campus will continue to play a major role in the university’s growth and campus planning vision. Over the past five years, UTSA has doubled its acreage in downtown San Antonio through a variety of milestones:
- Integration with the Southwest School of Art
- Opening of San Pedro I
- Approval to purchase One Riverwalk Place
- Development of San Pedro II
UTSA continues to make these significant investments downtown to advance the university’s mission to develop career-ready graduates aligned with regional workforce needs.
Main Campus and Park West
Equally important in the coming years will be a focus on space utilization at the Main Campus and Park West. As enrollment has increased, new infrastructure has been developed to support the needs of the Roadrunner community:
- The Science and Engineering Building
- The Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence
- Guadalupe Hall
- Blanco Hall (in development)
- Park West Fieldhouse
- Student Success Center
- UT Health at Kyle Seale facility
Enrollment is anticipated to grow over the coming years alongside research expenditures, and the Real Estate and Property Management team will evaluate needs at the Main Campus and Park West to ensure there is adequate infrastructure to support demand.
Merger with UT Health San Antonio
In August 2024, the UT System Board of Regents announced plans to merge UTSA and UT Health San Antonio. The Real Estate and Property Management team will work in close collaboration with UTSA and UT Health partners to ensure adequate space needs as the two institutions integrate.
Timeline
District planning will launch with three phases, beginning with a feedback period in fall 2024, review and analysis in late fall and early spring, and finalization of district plans in spring 2025.
What is district planning? What is the difference between the Campus Master Plan and District Planning?
UTSA’s district planning initiative is a plan to guide the university’s strategic growth, building on the existing Campus Master Plan and meeting the institution’s enrollment goals. The initiative aims to expand UTSA’s academic and research capacities while exploring new opportunities for growth and partnerships that foster career-engaged learning.
What are the intended outcomes of this initiative?
While this plan projects long-term growth, it also impacts short-term institutional investment decisions, advances academic excellence, promotes socioeconomic vibrancy in surrounding communities and amplifies workforce development for the city of San Antonio. This initiative aims to support an engaging university culture that enhances the student, faculty and staff experience.
What is the engagement process and who are stakeholder groups?
District planning will engage the full UTSA community. This fall, the Real Estate and Property Management team will reach out to each college and support service areas to learn more about space and infrastructure needs. Information gathered during this discovery phase will be used to map future district plans for the university.
