The Penn State Board of Trustees approved Friday a nearly $500 million expansion plan for the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

The plan calls for the construction of a new 160,000-square-foot children's hospital and a 155,000-square-foot cancer center, as well as a heart center and a new research facility. Several parking decks and new teaching facilities are also part of the design.

In total, the College of Medicine will see more than 800,000 square feet of new construction when the project is complete, said Gordon Turow, Penn State's campus planning and design director.

Construction is expected to take place within the next seven to 10 years, said Gary Schultz, senior vice president for finance and business.

The master plan is partly in response to growth in enrollment the college has experienced since its founding, said Dr. Darrell Kirch, dean of the College of Medicine and the medical center's CEO.

"We have worked hard to have a clear and crisp picture of where we're going," Kirch said.

"This plan will enable us to meet the growing needs of our patients and ensure the future success of the college and medical center."

Turow added the new expansion will help in strengthening the identity and vitality of key college programs in research, education and patient care.

Also Friday, the board approved preliminary plans for several University Park construction projects.

A 1,280-space parking deck -- to be erected where Lot-80 now sits in east campus --was approved by trustees. The deck will service future users of the planned Smeal College of Business Administration and the School of Forest Resources buildings, among others, Schultz said. Their construction is scheduled to take place in four to five years.

Redifer Commons will also undergo an extensive 20,000-square-foot addition and renovation process, the board voted.

Plans call for the extension of the dining area to be built into the existing hillside, stretching out toward McKean Road. The construction will provide an additional 385 seats to the dining hall, for a total of 885.

A new snack shop, mailroom, computer lab and residential assistant offices will also be part of the project.

The trustees also approved the appointment of an architect for the planned 23,000-square-foot construction of the Blue Band practice facility, to be located just north of Park Avenue.