Nursing and Science Building-Camden.jpg

A rendering of what a remolded Nursing and Science Building would look like at Rutgers University's Camden campus. (Courtesy of Rutgers)

NEW BRUNSWICK — Rooftop athletic fields, renovated buildings and new residence halls — this is the vision Rutgers University sees for the future of the school's Camden campus.

Details of the proposed campus makeover were unveiled by university officials on Thursday, during the last in a series of three presentations on the school's new physical master plan, "Rutgers 2030."

After the presentation, the university Board of Governors voted to approve the 15-20 year master plan for all three campuses, a document nearly two years and about $2 million in consulting fees in the making.

In Camden, two new residence halls would be built, creating an improved quad area between the existing on-campus housing. Both the business school and science building would be renovated, along with the campus center.

The plan places an emphasis on enhancing the Fifth Street and Third Street corridors, and improving visitors' first impressions when they step onto campus, said Antonio Calcado, Rutgers' vice president of university facilities and capital planning.

A rendering of an enhanced gateway to Rutgers University on Third Street in Camden. (Courtesy of Rutgers University)

"We really need to create a better gateway through the city to get to campus," Calcado said.

One way to better connect with the community would be to have new rooftop athletic fields on top of a parking garage and public safety building, Calcado said. The school also hopes to extend the Rutgers branding into the city and create better streetscapes and pedestrians walkways.

In total, the plan calls for about 315,000 square feet in new construction and nearly 350,000 square feet in renovations. More than 100,000 square feet in athletic fields would be added along with hundreds of additional parking spaces.

For now, plans for all three campuses effectively serve as a wish list because the university has yet to identify project costs or funding sources. Rutgers will need help through private or government partnerships or philanthropy to make the vision a reality, officials said.

"Today is really the end of the beginning because from here forward our job is to begin to implement all of these plans," Calcado said.

Changes at the sprawling New Brunswick-Piscataway campus would include knocking down several iconic Rutgers buildings, including Brower Commons and the Rutgers Student Center, to create a new heart of campus that would face the Raritan River.

The plan calls for transforming the campus with dozens of new buildings, roadways and a boardwalk along the Raritan River. It includes a new dining hall and student center and foot bridge over the Raritan River that would link the College Avenue and Livingston campuses for walkers and bikers.

In Newark, the crowded streets and aging buildings would be replaced by a pedestrian-friendly campus with modern classrooms and free wifi. The campus would also get new dedicated housing and classrooms for honors students.

None of the proposals are on a set timeline, and the university does not have a sequence for pursuing the projects or determining their cost, President Robert Barchi said.

"It's a living document," he said. "It's a blueprint. It's something we will be looking at every year and each year we'll determine based on that blue print and that situation what our immediate priorities are."

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.