After 20 years, SF State is designing a new master plan that envisions “a unified and more vibrant community” and builds “better bridges to the world outside campus borders.”

The Master Plan Open House enabled Wallace Roberts & Todd Inc. (WRT), design planners and architects to showcase various design options to the campus community and its neighbors at the lobby of the Administration building on April 12, which began at noon, and lasted until 3 p.m.

Jiin Son, the landscape architect for WRT - a national planning and design firm - said that the intention for the open house was to generate more public options of the existing framework. They wanted to further brainstorm ideas for the university with discussion and comments from the people.

Brainstorming for the new design have been in progress since Dec. 9, 2005, when the presidents, faculty, staff and students of SF State met with the steering committee - members of the master plan - to participate in a visioning charrette as part of the master planning process.

Alex Zeh was one of around 40 people who showed up to see roughly 20 diagrams, which presented each phase of the different plans for the campus.

“I think this is one of the worst connected campuses,” said Zeh, a design and industry senior at SF State. “It is too far from the city and a poor connection with the community.”

Zeh's complaint is popular among the students, according to Wendy Bloom, the campus planner, and landscape architect for the WRT.

Students said that crossing 19th Avenue to get to MUNI is dangerous, said Bloom. She added that the WRT wants to make transportation safe and easier for commuters by moving the MUNI line closer to campus.

“Now this isn’t an easy plan,” she noted. “We have to get support from MUNI and Cal Trans. It is a long process.”

To address student concerns of the MUNI line in general, Bloom said that a future plan is to try and stretch MUNI to Daly City.

However, accessible transportation is just one part of the master plan.

WRT’s Principal Director James Stickley said that they want to redesign and build a completely new gymnasium and Creative Arts building. They also want to build a museum to house various pieces of art.

“The university has so many different art displays in each department, so it would be nice to display the collectives in one central building,” Stickley said.

The plan also includes the creation of a visitor or conference center with an iconic structure, providing an accessible and multi-purpose meeting space for students, alumni and visiting members of the community, according to the campus plan Web site, www.sfsumasterplan.org.

However, Bloom emphasized that none of the ideas for the campus are set in stone as of yet.

There will be another opportunity to witness and discuss the new designs at a second open house on April 13, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.