Ringling school plots its growth; The art school is buying land around its campus and hopes to add 500 students.(A SECTION)

Byline: MIKE SAEWITZ mike.saewitz@heraldtribune.com

SARASOTA -- The maps tell the tale.

An aerial view of the Ringling School of Art and Design has big areas around the school highlighted for expansion.

The proposed expansion takes in residential areas north and northeast of Ringling's 35-acre campus, and a bundle of properties just north of the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Tamiami Trail.

The small design school -- the student population is at 1,000 -- plans to grow by 50 percent within the next decade. It will add 500 students, and the faculty will grow at the same rate.

While it seems like an ambitious plan, …