Northeastern seeking to expand

According to town officials, who have spoken to Northeastern officials about their plans, the university is proposing to construct a new 60,000- to 70,000-square-foot building on the existing Burlington campus that would serve as a graduate-level engineering research center in the fields of electronics and computer information systems.

Mike Armini, Northeastern’s vice president for marketing and communications, confirmed that “we are in conversations with the town about building a new facility’’ on the 14.3-acre Burlington campus, which is located off South Bedford Street.

Armini declined further details, saying the university plans to make a formal announcement of the project next month. But he said, “Northeastern is increasingly expanding its focus on research and this endeavor in Burlington is consistent with our focus on very high-end research.’’

Of the decision to locate the facility in Burlington, Armini said, “We have an existing campus in Burlington, so it made sense for us to do some of this work where we already have a footprint.’’

The expansion would nearly double the square footage of the existing campus, which now consists of three buildings totaling 61,330 square feet. Northeastern has operated the campus since the land, formerly the site of a US Army Nike missile base, was acquired by the university from the federal government in 1963.

The proposal, which would require site plan approval by Burlington’s Planning Board, is already being warmly received by town officials.

The plan was met with “enthusiastic support’’ from selectmen when they were briefed on it at their April 26 meeting, according to assistant town administrator Thomas Hickey. He said selectmen asked town administrator Robert Mercier to draft a letter to Northeastern informing the university of their support for the project.

“Northeastern has always been a good neighbor to us in Burlington, and to have them expand in Burlington is a definite plus because it helps keep Burlington on the map and Northeastern is a good school,’’ said Ralph C. C. Patuto, the selectmen chairman and a Northeastern alumnus.

Noting the new building would house a new specialized graduate-level program, he said, “It’s exciting to bring that level of education to Burlington.’’

Anthony Fields, the town’s planning director, also spoke favorably of the university’s plan.

“I am intrigued by the proposal and I think having a research center of this magnitude would be a positive for Burlington,’’ he said. “And given that a lot of it is computer-based research, it would be a nice supplement to many of the companies already in Burlington.’’

Fields said the project “also reflects a commitment on the part of Northeastern to maintain a suburban campus.’’ In addition to its main campus in Boston and the Burlington campus, Northeastern has facilities in Nahant, Dedham, and Ashland.

The existing three buildings on the Burlington campus are not suitable to accommodate Northeastern’s future plans for the campus, according to Renata Nyul, Northeastern’s director of communications. She said those buildings will no longer be used for classes as of the end of this term and their future use remains to be determined.

The new building would be constructed on a portion of the parking lot. Fields said even with the resulting loss of parking spaces, he believes the university would still have ample available parking if it adds another building. Northeastern leases 400 parking spaces to Lahey Clinic Medical Center, according to Nyul.

Fields said that if the proposal proceeds, any issues such as potential traffic and drainage impacts from the project would be addressed as part of the site plan approval process.

He said Burlington and Northeastern officials are planning to meet next week to continue discussions of the expansion plan.

The potential expansion on the Burlington campus comes as Woburn has been in active negotiations with Northeastern to purchase Whispering Hills Woods, a 75-acre open space property in Woburn. The university has said it has also been approached by other potential buyers of the land, which was the site of a controversial housing proposal by a developer. The city successfully blocked that plan in a legal fight that concluded in 2008.