BOCA RATON – Lynn University has gotten the City Council’s approval to grow its North Military Trail campus to the extent of its borders.
“Ultimately, this will be the build out of the campus,” attorney Bonnie Miskal, representing the university, told the City Council at a recent public hearing.
Expansion of the campus will also mean an increase in students, she said. The current enrollment of about 2,300 undergraduates should increase to about 3,000 at build out, she said.
The university’s website says the campus measures 123 acres and the school was opened in 1962 as Marymount College, a women’s junior college 
founded by the religious order of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM). It has undergone several name changes until it became Lynn University in 1991, to reflect its wider academic reach and in honor of philanthropists Eugene and Christine Lynn.
Miskal told council members that the larger campus “will better serve students and staff.” She said environmentally sustainable, or “green” buildings, will be part of the enlarged campus.
In giving the green light to the campus expansion, council members approved an amendment to a resolution which previously granted conditional use and master plan approval for the university. The proposed master plan will allow for the construction of 1,071,308 square feet of additional space, said City Manager Leif Ahnell in a memo to the council.
Planning, Zoning and Development Director Julia Trevarthen said the university “is redesigning the campus for building placement and improving pedestrian connectivity to encourage students, faculty and staff to limit vehicle usage. Vehicle access will be provided via two driveways along Potomac Road and one driveway along Military Trail.
Trevarthen said the redesigned campus layout “will allow for the construction of a combination of a spiritual center, residence halls, academic buildings, a gymnasium expansion, sports fields and a parking structure. The existing preserve will be reconfigured to provide a better buffer between the university and the Millpond subdivision.”
She said the city’s traffic consultant, Stanley Consultants Inc., has reviewed the traffic analyses provided by Jacob’s Engineering and determined that the master plan amendment will generate a net increase of 1,234 daily trips. She said the study was reviewed by the Palm Beach County traffic engineer who determined that the proposed development meets the concurrency criteria in the traffic performance standards of Palm Beach County.
The university will have to increase the number of parking spaces. City code requires 3,360. The new campus layout will contain 3,700, according to plans.
The Planning & Zoning Board has also voted to recommend Lynn University’s campus plan.
Lynn was last before a city board in July 2007 when the Planning and Zoning Board approved construction of a 30,600 square foot performing arts center with 750 seats on campus. An amendment was added a year later, clearing the say for construction.