LEWISTON – Lewiston-Auburn College will expand.

The University of Maine System’s Board of Trustees on Monday approved a $2 million plan to buy a neighboring property and refurbish the industrial building on it. The approval means the college can move forward with the purchase and hire architects to begin the design process.

Lewiston-Auburn College, which is part of the University of Southern Maine, has 1,200 students and shares a single, 63,000-square-foot building with the University of Maine at Augusta.

Because enrollment has increased by 81 percent over the past 10 years, the school is squeezed for parking, office and meeting space. Available classrooms have become so scarce that some classes have to meet in the function room.

The extra land would also allow the college to add parking. The 38,000-square-foot industrial building would give the college 60 percent more space for labs, storage and classes.

“The expansion marks a significant trend for growth in higher education here,” said UMaine Chancellor Joseph Westphal after the meeting, which was held at the college.

The property, which is at 61 Westminster St., is currently owned by the Lewiston Development Corp. The group has agreed to sell the land and building for about $700,000.

The industrial building used to house L&A Molding, which manufactured parts for shoes. Currently, Affordable Office Resources, a company that refurbishes and resells office furniture, leases space in the building.

The college expects to purchase the property formally in spring. Renovations would start soon after that, and the new building could open in the fall of 2006.

The project would be funded through a $2 million bond approved by Maine voters last year.

The college last expanded in 2001 as part of a $3.5 million project that added or renovated more than 20,000 square feet. Another 220 students have enrolled since, and the college expects the growth to continue over the next several years.

At the same meeting Monday, the Board of Trustees also unanimously approved a $25 million fund-raising campaign for the University of Southern Maine. The money will be used to complete existing projects, including a new Muskie School of Public Service, and will pay for improvements to the university’s Portland campus. It will also be used to increase USM’s endowment fund.

The campaign will be the largest in the school’s history.