STANISLAUS STATE IS CONTEMPLATING a new academic site in Tracy, California State University officials recently announced.

The campus would be the centerpiece of Pacific Gateway, a 1,500-acre master-planned development being built at Interstate 580 and Highway 132.

Officials say the Tracy site will expand academic opportunities for students, support workforce development and foster public-private partnerships.

“The possibility of expanding to Tracy, with our existing presence in Turlock and Stockton, would provide a three-location solution designed to increase social mobility, fuel economic vitality and cultivate a culturally rich and resilient future for San Joaquin County and beyond,” Stanislaus State President Britt Rios-Ellis said in a statement.

The university, one of 23 CSU schools, has its main campus in Turlock, with a satellite campus in Stockton.

Ridgeline Development Corp., which plans to build on the parcel, and the Sandhu family, prominent almond growers in San Joaquin County, are contributing the infrastructure and the initial building as part of the proposed CSU campus. It would be situated on a 66-acre parcel. The rest of the complex would largely be industrial buildings nestled in a leafy, park-like setting.

Lawmakers say they are excited at the prospect of the university’s expansion.

“I look forward to partnering with Stanislaus State to make this vision a reality and to expand opportunities that make the dream of college more accessible for families throughout our region,” CSU alumna and Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, D-Tracy, said in a statement.

San Joaquin County Supervisor Robert Rickman called the proposal “a pivotal moment for San Joaquin County.”

If the project moves forward, the university could break ground by late 2026, with an anticipated opening in 2028, officials said in a news release.

The satellite campus will “provide a differentiated experience from programs located on the Stockton campus,” leaders said, focusing on business, logistics and supply chain management, agriculture and education as well as areas such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

This story originally appeared in Stocktonia.