SALEM - Salem State College is considering expanding its campus by acquiring a manufacturing plant across the street.

Since learning months ago that Weir Valves & Controls, 285 Canal St., is planning to move from the city, the college has been positioning itself to acquire the 3.5-acre site across from its central campus on Loring Avenue.

Salem State officials stressed that they do not have an agreement to buy the property and are not even in talks with Weir Valve. But they admit they are interested.

"There's a lot of interest in that property," said Christine Sullivan, executive director of the Salem State College Assistance Corp., the legal entity that purchased the former Sylvania plant a decade ago. The Sylvania site has since been transformed into the 35-acre central campus.

"Obviously, the college would have real interest in that land," said Cynthia McGurren, vice president of institutional advancement at Salem State. "It's kind of in the heart of our campus, but we are not a party to any agreement."

However, college officials have asked Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry of Peabody and state Rep. John Keenan of Salem to sponsor legislation that will "allow the Assistance Corporation to purchase a 3.5-acre parcel directly across from the central campus of the college," according to a draft letter from the college to the chairmen of the Joint Committee on Higher Education.

Keenan confirmed that a bill is before the Legislature.

"The senator and I have been working on some legislation to expand the area where the Salem State College Assistance Corp. may be able to purchase property," Keenan said yesterday. He said there is "no money" in the bill, just "language allowing them to do it."

Salem State has briefed city officials on its tentative plans and provided assurances they are interested in some kind of mixed-use development that would provide revenue to the city to make up for any lost taxes. Weir Valve pays $64,000 in taxes on property assessed at $3.1 million, according to the city's Assessing Department. The college is a nonprofit institution and mostly exempt from taxes.

"If the college, at some point way down the line, did have the property, we would certainly make the city whole in terms of tax revenue," McGurren said.

Mayor Kim Driscoll said she made that message clear to Salem State.

"Obviously, that would need to be part of any development," she said.

Although Salem State does not appear to have firm plans for the site, city officials have been told the college is not considering a new dorm and more likely would use the Weir buildings for office space. Any plans would likely include a private, tax-producing development, possibly retail or commercial space.

City Council President Matt Veno, who has been briefed by college officials, said they would likely look for "some sort of public-private partnership to develop the site."

Meanwhile, the pending exit of Weir Valves is a significant loss for the city.

"We really tried hard to keep them," Driscoll said. "Unfortunately, we just couldn't accommodate their space needs."

The former Atwood & Morrill Co. has a history in the city dating back more than a century. The 110-employee firm is one of Salem's few manufacturers.

"Unfortunately, we can't find a place in Salem," said Peter McGovern, Weir's vice president of marketing.

The company, which is based in Scotland and has facilities in China, makes valves for nuclear power plants and other customers. The nuclear business is expanding, and Weir needs to grow with it, McGovern said. This move is being made, he said, to improve production capacity "to meet the expected surge in orders."

"There are plans afoot right now to build over 30 new nuclear reactors in this country," McGovern said.

Weir expects to move to Ipswich by the fall.