University of Arizona planners see the proposed streetcar as the solution to campus congestion as they plan for booming student enrollment.

The streetcar would allow students and faculty members to move between the campus and the downtown area in less than 30 minutes. People could come to campus without bringing their cars, and that would reduce the need for parking garages and ease traffic congestion on campus, said Bob Smith, the UA's associate vice president of planning, design and construction.

The university wants to find a private partner interested in developing student apartments near streetcar stops downtown, Smith said. The UA will issue a request for proposals this spring, he said.

The streetcar line would be a "major artery" connecting the UA to downtown, said Architecture College dean Janice Cervelli, a master-planning specialist who is leading the downtown discussion for the UA.

All along the proposed line, the UA sees potential for development, from downtown classes for working professionals to mixed-use buildings, she said. The UA's presence would, in turn, spur more private development, Cervelli said.

Select classes also could be held downtown, starting with architecture programs, as soon as this fall.

UA administrators met regularly with city officials to collaborate on how the line could be located on campus to minimize traffic disruptions and enhance pedestrian malls, Smith said.

Here are some of the trolley-centered ideas from the UA plan.

• Coming from downtown, the streetcar would enter the UA near the Main Gate, move north along Park Avenue and east along Second Street. Second Street could be densified with new student housing.

• Then the streetcar would move north along the Warren Avenue pedestrian mall, passing under Speedway and ending at the Arizona Health Sciences Center and University Medical Center.

The vision for Warren Avenue centers on the streetcar "further energizing that pedestrian walkway and creating an even better link from the main campus to the health sciences campus," Smith said.

With or without the streetcar, the UA would like to build additional academic research buildings along Warren. That was an idea from the 2003 master plan - created before the city started talking about trolleys. But the streetcar line enhances the idea, Smith said.

• Near Campbell Avenue and Helen Street, where the line would end, the university would like to work with a private partner to develop a major block near Campbell and Speedway to include a mixed-use office project.

The vision includes a parking garage for commuters who want to get around campus using the streetcar.

Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@azstarnet.com or 807-8012.