To obtain Board approval for a new construction and/or addition project, an institution shall demonstrate that the project complies with the following standards:

1. (1) Institutional Standards. The institution shall demonstrate that a new construction and/or addition project complies with the following institutional standards:

   1. (A) Deferred Maintenance.

      1. (i) The Board standard for deferred maintenance shall be the ratio of campus deferred maintenance costs to replacement value of 5 percent or less.

      2. (ii) If the ratio of campus deferred maintenance costs to replacement value is more than 5 percent, a project may be approved if the institution demonstrates that:

         1. (I) the project is intended to reduce the deferred maintenance on the campus, or
         2. (II) the institution has demonstrated a reduction in its deferred maintenance to replacement value ratio 10 percent or more for the immediate prior three years.

      3. (iii) Alternatively, if the deferred maintenance to replacement value ratio is greater than 5 percent, a project may be approved if the institution:

         1. (I) submits a written plan on a form specified by the Board for substantial progress toward meeting the standard; and
         2. (II) provides the Board with a statement signed by the president of the institution, regarding its ability to support and maintain the proposed facility while continuing to address current institutional facility maintenance needs. The president of the institution may not delegate this authority.

   2. (B) Critical Deferred Maintenance.

      1. (i) The Board standard for critical deferred maintenance is zero.

      2. (ii) If the critical deferred maintenance is greater than zero, a project may be approved if the institution:

         1. (I) Develops an acceptable plan in place to address any critical deferred maintenance reported on the master plan; and
         2. (II) the institution shall demonstrate progress towards meeting the plan goals; and
         3. (III) the institution shall provide the Board with a statement signed by the president of the institution regarding its ability to support and maintain the proposed facility while continuing to address current institutional facility maintenance needs. The president of the institution may not delegate this authority.

2. (2) Project Standards. The institution shall demonstrate that a new construction or addition project complies with the following project standards:

   1. (A) Space Need--The project shall not create a campus space surplus, or add to an existing surplus, as determined by the Board's space projection model report, required by §17.100 of this title (relating to Board Reports).

      1. (i) If the institution has a predicted surplus of space in the current Space Projection Model report and the project is required to accommodate future predicted enrollment growth, the Board may consider a written plan from the institution, on a form specified by the Board, for substantial progress toward meeting the standard. The plan must include:

         1. (I) an explanation of the expected growth and how the predicted growth will impact the institution;
         2. (II) a demonstration of progress towards eliminating the surplus;
         3. (III) a statement regarding the ability of the institution to support and maintain the proposed facility while continuing to address current institutional facility needs; and
         4. (IV) a demonstration that, upon completion of the project, the institution will comply with the Board standard and eliminate the space surplus.
         5. (V) The plan shall be signed by the president of the institution. The president of the institution may not delegate this authority within the requesting institution.
      2. (ii) If more than one project is submitted for an agenda, all projects submitted for the current agenda will be considered in the determination of a campus surplus or deficit.
   2. (B) Cost--The construction building cost per gross square foot shall be within the range of similar projects approved by the Board within the last five years, adjusted for inflation as described in the board's Construction Cost report (§17.100 of this title relating to Board Reports). If the construction cost per gross square foot exceeds the maximum cost of similarly approved projects, the cost per gross square foot shall not exceed the highest actual construction cost per gross square foot based on industry standards as published periodically by the Coordinating Board unless the institution can demonstrate that the higher cost is due to market conditions or other circumstances that warrant the higher cost.

   3. (C) Efficiency--The ratio of NASF to GSF for the space in projects for classrooms and general purpose facilities shall be 0.60 or greater. Where the following specialized space is predominant in the project, the ratios of NASF to GSF shall be as follows:

      1. (i) Office space: 0.65 or greater;
      2. (ii) Clinical facility; 0.50 or greater;
      3. (iii) Diagnostic support laboratories: 0.50 or greater; and
      4. (iv) Technical research buildings: 0.50 or greater; and

      5. (v) Parking structure:

         1. (I) 400 Square Feet per parking space for automobile facilities;
         2. (II) 500 Square Feet per parking space for boathouses; and
         3. (III) 3,000 Square Feet per parking space for airplanes.
         4. (IV) If the parking structure does not meet this standard, the project may be approved if the institution demonstrates that the lower efficiency is due to the shape of the available land or site or other conditions that warrant the lower efficiency.
      6. (vi) For mixed-use facilities, the ratio of NASF to GSF shall be calculated for each space type and considered separately.

Source Note:The provisions of this §17.30 adopted to be effective August 15, 2004, 29 TexReg 7684; amended to be effective February 22, 2005, 30 TexReg 840; amended to be effective November 22, 2005, 30 TexReg 7736; amended to be effective August 15, 2007, 32 TexReg 4973.