GB1 Office of the President TO MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS: DISCUSSION ITEM For Meeting of July 19, 2016 UPDATE ON STUDENT HOUSING AND PLANS FOR NORTH TORREY PINES LIVING AND LEARNING NEIGHBORHOOD, SAN DIEGO CAMPUS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The San Diego campus will provide an update on its strategy for addressing the housing needs of its undergraduate and graduate students. The San Diego campus is embarking on a series of student housing projects in response to the high demand for on-campus housing. Currently, approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students are on the waitlist for on-campus housing. Additionally, some of the on- campus housing facilities are accommodating more students than originally intended (such as three students sharing a room meant for two). Without additional housing, the shortage will worsen as student enrollment increases. The proposed North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood will provide approximately 2,000 new beds, resident support space, and residential dining for undergraduate students. In addition to housing, the project will also provide: new instruction and research space for departments and programs within the Divisions of Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities; general assignment classrooms; residential life and administrative space for students and staff to support UC San Diego’s undergraduate college system; and a parking structure for approximately 1,200 spaces. The project is proposed to be built on a ten-acre parcel. Co-locating student housing with academic space will facilitate collaboration between students and faculty across various disciplines and enrich their experiences. The campus anticipates this mixed-use approach integrating housing, teaching, learning, and social spaces into one location will lower project costs as a result of economies of scale and shared infrastructure. The campus expects to request approval of preliminary plans funding for the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood in fall 2016. This funding would allow the campus to competitively select and engage a design-build project delivery team to confirm and refine the scope of work through detailed programming, preliminary design, and cost estimation. Approval of full budget and associated external financing, as well as design and California Environmental Quality Act approval, will be requested at a future meeting.
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DISCUSSION ITEM
UPDATE ON STUDENT HOUSING AND PLANS FOR NORTH TORREY PINES
LIVING AND LEARNING NEIGHBORHOOD, SAN DIEGO CAMPUS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The San Diego campus will provide an update on its strategy for addressing the housing needs of
its undergraduate and graduate students.
The San Diego campus is embarking on a series of student housing projects in response to the
high demand for on-campus housing. Currently, approximately 4,000 undergraduate and
graduate students are on the waitlist for on-campus housing. Additionally, some of the on-
campus housing facilities are accommodating more students than originally intended (such as
three students sharing a room meant for two). Without additional housing, the shortage will
worsen as student enrollment increases.
The proposed North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood will provide
approximately 2,000 new beds, resident support space, and residential dining for undergraduate
students. In addition to housing, the project will also provide: new instruction and research space
for departments and programs within the Divisions of Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities;
general assignment classrooms; residential life and administrative space for students and staff to
support UC San Diego’s undergraduate college system; and a parking structure for
approximately 1,200 spaces. The project is proposed to be built on a ten-acre parcel.
Co-locating student housing with academic space will facilitate collaboration between students
and faculty across various disciplines and enrich their experiences. The campus anticipates this
mixed-use approach integrating housing, teaching, learning, and social spaces into one location
will lower project costs as a result of economies of scale and shared infrastructure.
The campus expects to request approval of preliminary plans funding for the North Torrey Pines
Living and Learning Neighborhood in fall 2016. This funding would allow the campus to
competitively select and engage a design-build project delivery team to confirm and refine the
scope of work through detailed programming, preliminary design, and cost estimation. Approval
of full budget and associated external financing, as well as design and California Environmental
Quality Act approval, will be requested at a future meeting.
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Demand for On-Campus Housing
Affordable on-campus housing aids in the recruitment and retention of students. It also expands
opportunities to fully integrate new students into the academic and social life of the campus.
Increasing numbers of continuing students prefer to live on campus as well. Part of the attraction
of University-owned housing is the proximity to on-campus amenities, including academic,
research, clinical, and recreational facilities. Students who live on campus are able to get around
campus without a car – by walking, biking or taking campus shuttles. Affordable off-campus
housing options in the San Diego region are few, and those that are available are far from
campus.
The shortage of reasonably priced rentals in the surrounding community strongly affects the
demand for on-campus housing. UC San Diego is located adjacent to La Jolla and University
Town Center (UTC), where housing costs are extremely high and where the apartment vacancy
rate off campus was under five percent in 2015. The average two-bedroom, one-bathroom
apartment in the area adjacent to campus currently rents for $2,063 ($1,031 per student). 1 In
contrast, the monthly rental rate for a two-bedroom, on-campus apartment averages
$1,780 ($890 per student) for undergraduates for a nine-month contract including all utilities. For
graduate students, the monthly rental rate for a two-bedroom, on-campus apartment averages
$1,162 ($581 per student) for a twelve-month lease, excluding costs such as electricity,
cable/internet, and furniture. Each year, the housing rates are established in consultation with an
appointed student advisory group, which includes representatives from all segments of the
student resident population, to ensure agreement.
Previously Implemented Projects, Current Waitlist
UC San Diego’s most recent undergraduate housing projects, completed in 2011, added
1,680 beds at Revelle and Muir Colleges and the north campus transfer housing. During summer
2015, UC San Diego Housing, Dining, and Hospitality (HDH) added more than 1,000 new beds
to the undergraduate housing inventory by converting all remaining single rooms to doubles and
converting double rooms to triples. These modifications to existing housing facilities were made
in excess of the original design capacity for each facility. Despite the additional 1,000 beds, the
waitlist for undergraduate housing continued to grow through fall 2015. When the waitlist
reached a record high of 960 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduates, HDH closed the
waitlist and advised other students to secure off-campus housing. If the waitlist had not been
closed, the campus anticipates more than 2,000 undergraduates would be on the list, with the
majority having little to no chance of securing on-campus housing. The demand for on-campus
housing is expected to grow with increased student enrollment, further exacerbating the housing
shortage.
1 These rental rates were provided RealFacts data, fourth quarter 2015, and covers all of zip code 92122. This
includes the UTC, but excludes La Jolla.
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Housing Guarantee
In order to accommodate undergraduates who wanted to live on campus, starting in the 2013-14
academic year, the campus guaranteed undergraduates four years of campus housing. However,
beginning in 2014-15, due to high demand, that guarantee was reduced to two years. As demand
for undergraduate student housing accompanies enrollment and the number of beds will dwindle
based on commitments from previous years, UC San Diego will be able to accommodate a
smaller proportion of new students each year. Without approximately 2,000 new beds, campus
leadership would have to consider further reducing the housing guarantee to just one year.
In October 2008, a change was made in the housing policy for graduate students, placing a two-
year limit on those living on campus. This affected all new single graduate and professional
students, and couples without children. In response to the campus’ recent Graduate and
Professional Student Experience and Satisfaction Committee Report, the campus established a
goal to offer all incoming single graduate and professional students a two-year guarantee of on-
campus housing.
Unfortunately, UC San Diego is not able to fulfill this guarantee right now, making competitive
recruitment difficult. To meet this goal for fall 2015, the campus would need to house
4,300 graduate and professional students – significantly more than the 2,030 students currently
accommodated. As stated below, two graduate student housing projects are in the design or
construction phase. When they are completed, the campus anticipates being able to meet the two-
year, front-end guarantee for graduate and professional students.
Long Range Development Plan Goal
A goal in UC San Diego’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), approved by the Regents in
2004, is to provide housing for at least half of all students. This aligns with campus sustainability
goals of reducing the number of daily vehicular trips to campus. As shown in Table 1 below, as
of fall 2015, the campus was able to accommodate only about 40 percent of all students. The
anticipated enrollment growth will only making reaching the LRDP goal more challenging.
Table 1: Fall 2015 UCSD Students Housed On Campus
Student Type Fall 2015
2 Enrollment statistics from Fall Third Week Registration Report
3 Data Source for “Students Housed”: Annual Fall Housing Occupancy Report (10/1/15)
4 Based on number of beds needed as of fall 2015
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President’s Student Housing Initiative and Proposed Projects
In January 2016, the President of the University announced a Student Housing Initiative to add a
minimum of 14,000 student beds systemwide by 2020, through various means including
accelerating current housing projects. The projects include undergraduate and graduate student
housing. The initiative aims to provide sufficient, affordable housing for UC students. In
response to the President’s Initiative and the high demand for on-campus housing, the campus
plans to add more than 5,000 beds for undergraduate and graduate students by 2020, as shown in
Table 2 below.
Project Students Beds Anticipated
Completion
Date
Status
Mesa Nueva Single Graduate 1,355 Fall 2017 Approved and in Construction
Nuevo West Single Graduate 800+ Winter 2019-
20
Nuevo East Graduate and
BACKGROUND
The mixed-use North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood Project (Project) will be
developed on a ten-acre parcel. Currently, the land is used for surface parking and a
6,700 assignable square foot (ASF) temporary structure that is home to the
Chemistry/Biochemistry Department’s research in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
spectroscopy. The Project will provide 990,000 to 1,000,000 gross square feet, with the
following facilities: 2,000 new beds for undergraduate students; residential/community dining;
resident support space; permanent space for an undergraduate college, including the provost’s
office, student affairs units and writing program; new instruction and research space for
academic departments and programs; and general assignment classrooms. In addition, the project
will include a parking structure for 1,200 spaces.
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Need for Additional Undergraduate Housing
As stated above, there is very high demand for housing on the San Diego campus. This Project
aims to alleviate the undergraduate demand. With the anticipated enrollment growth, the 2,000
beds proposed will reduce the waitlist while allowing the campus to maintain its two-year
housing guarantee to freshman.
Need for New Facilities to Accommodate an Undergraduate College
The San Diego campus is comprised of six semi-autonomous 5 undergraduate colleges, each with
its own facilities, distinctive educational philosophy, general education and graduation
requirements, and instructional programs. The college system personalizes the delivery of
services to undergraduate students and combines the intimacy of a small institution with the
intellectual breadth and resources of a large research university. Prioritizing student academic
development, the provost of each college manages programs directly within the college,
including academic advising and student academic support services. Every undergraduate
student is assigned to one of six colleges when he or she is admitted to UC San Diego.
The campus is committed to keeping its colleges at a reasonable size to foster community.
Current enrollment at each of the six colleges is under 5,000 students. With enrollment increases
anticipated in the next few years, academic planning is under way to evaluate whether to add a
seventh college. UC San Diego has two options: either add new facilities to the Sixth College or
build a seventh college. Additional facilities would allow the campus to create an innovative
community for an undergraduate college to collaborate with Arts and Humanities and Social
Sciences departments and programs.
Need for Additional Academic Space
Currently, large lecture halls on campus (over 200 seats) are over-utilized. Classrooms with
201 to 300 seats have a utilization rate of 140 percent of standard. 6 For rooms with more than
300 seats, the utilization rate is 137 percent.
With the number of undergraduate students expected to grow by 15 percent from fall
2015 (26,590) to fall 2020 (30,600), the utilization rate is estimated to be 160 percent of standard
for classrooms with 201 to 300 seats, and 157 percent for classrooms with 301 or more seats.
A large lecture hall of 600 seats is needed for undergraduate courses to accommodate high
enrollment, given that the largest classroom size on campus has 417 seats. Large lecture hall
space is also needed for student orientation sessions and events that attract large crowds.
5 The six colleges include: Revelle, Muir, Marshall, Warren, Roosevelt, and Sixth
6 A classroom with 100-percent utilization implies that each seat is occupied for 35 hours a week
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GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS
July 19, 2016
General campus faculty growth is also driven by student growth, and the campus is projecting an
increase of ladder-rank faculty from 853 (fall 2015) to 983 (fall 2020). Additional housing is
needed for them.
Many Social Sciences departments now face a shortage of space, as construction of new facilities
has not kept pace with the evolution of academic priorities and prior campus enrollment growth.
Without new construction, the campus must continue to grapple with the severe lack of space,
hampering efforts to expand current programs for instruction and research.
Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences departments and programs are currently scattered
among several different buildings and would benefit from consolidation. Departments such as
History, Philosophy, Literature, Education Studies, and other related programs cannot benefit
from cross-departmental collaboration and synergies between Social Sciences and Arts and
Humanities. Many of these departments are in antiquated buildings across the campus, some of
which need to be renovated or demolished. Consolidating and relocating these departments
would help the campus reduce a significant portion of its pending deferred maintenance.
Need for Additional Parking
Enrollment on the UC San Diego campus increased from 25,278 students (in 2004) to 33,735
(fall 2015). In addition to more traffic in and around campus, ongoing development in the area
has significantly reduced the availability of parking on campus, especially in the West Campus.
Approximately six million gross square feet of student housing and new instruction and research
facilities were built during this time to address space deficiencies. Most of those new facilities
were constructed on surface parking lots that were not replaced, significantly reducing parking
inventory. Campus parking is usually filled by 8:00 am and remains filled until 4:30 pm. The
only parking that has been added on campus in recent years is located on the East Campus.
Even with tremendous progress made in recent years to reduce the number of single-occupancy
vehicles entering campus, and reduced demand anticipated from the completion of Light Rail
Transit service to campus, additional parking options on the West Campus are critically needed.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Undergraduate Housing
The proposed Project’s approximately 2,000 new undergraduate beds would include a mix of
residence halls and apartments. To support and encourage the undergraduate living and learning
environment, the Project would also include resident support space, market-style dining and
small informal work spaces for study groups. The dining facility would include an open floor
plan with indoor and outdoor seating, and individual service stations to meet community needs.
One of the Project’s goals is to create a ground-level hub where students, faculty, and staff would
cross paths and interact. Residential and quieter contemplative spaces would be above the ground
floor. Co-locating academic, housing, and student activity space would allow buildings to share
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environment for students, faculty, and staff.
Academic Space
The proposed Project would provide an innovative community that integrates college facilities
with academic office and research space in the Divisions of Arts and Humanities and Social
Sciences. To address the need for additional large lecture halls, the Project also provides one
large lecture hall (600 seats) and three smaller lecture halls (two with 250 seats each and one
with 350 seats).
The Living and Learning Neighborhood would promote the efficient use of shared meeting space
for student activities within the undergraduate college as well as for department activities. The
Project will also dedicate space that will bring faculty and students together. This space may be
used for media, film, art history, presentations, and lectures.
As an added benefit, the Project would free up space in various campus buildings for other
academic and administrative uses. The Project would also help address a portion of the campus’
deferred maintenance need by accommodating departments and programs currently in old
dilapidated buildings, which can then be refurbished or demolished.
Parking
The project site is currently comprised of two separate but adjacent surface parking lots
providing a total of 970 parking spaces. Construction of the proposed project would eliminate
these spaces, and therefore any plans must include replacement parking.
As part of the proposed Project, the campus plans to provide replacement parking in a multi-level
configuration of approximately 1,200 spaces, increasing capacity by 230 net spaces. The campus
would likely pursue a design solution where most parking would be underground in order to
maximize land use.
Removal of the “Bubble Building”
In addition to the surface parking lots, the project site also includes a 6,700 ASF temporary
structure known as the “Bubble Building,” a pressurized metal-free, tensile structure specifically
designed for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy research. The NMR will be
permanently relocated to the new Biological and Physical Sciences Building when the facility is
complete in 2018, and the “Bubble Building” will be removed from campus.
Project Schedule
The campus plans to request Regents’ approval of preliminary plans funding in fall 2016. The
design-build delivery method would be proposed for this project. This funding would allow the
campus to competitively select and engage a design-build project delivery team to confirm and
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GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS
July 19, 2016
refine the scope of work through detailed programming, preliminary design, and project cost
estimation prior to submitting the project for full budget and financing approval by the Regents.
The funding would also support site surveys, specialty consultants, and preparation of
environmental documentation pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Approval of budget, external financing and design (following action pursuant to CEQA) would
be requested at future meetings.
Because of the size and scope of the project, the construction duration would deliver project
components in phases, with the goal of completing the majority of the undergraduate housing by
fall 2019 and the remainder of the Project in 2020.
Key to Acronyms
HDH UC San Diego Housing, Dining, and Hospitality
LRDP Long Range Development Plan
NTP LLN North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood
NMR Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
PPP Public Private Partnership
UTC University Town Center
Attachment 3: Alternatives Considered
ATTACHMENT 3
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
housing and academic space is below.
Option 1 - Redevelopment with University-delivered, New Construction on Campus
– Preferred
The preferred solution would redevelop a ten-acre parcel on campus to create the North
Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood (NTP LLN). The Project would provide
approximately 2,000 new beds for undergraduate students, new academic space for
departments and programs in Social Sciences and Humanities, classroom space and
structured parking. To support and encourage the undergraduate living and learning
environment, the Project would also include a food service market, casual dining, and
smaller work spaces that could be reserved for study groups. One of the Project aims is to
create a ground-level hub where faculty, staff and students would cross paths and
interact. Residential and quieter spaces would be above the ground floor.
The Project would be located on two existing adjacent surface parking lots just east of
North Torrey Pines Road and west of Ridge Walk, a prominent north-south pedestrian
corridor. This location will facilitate access to the Living and Learning Neighborhood.
NTP LLN would require removal of the “Bubble Building,” which has provided a
temporary home for the Chemistry/Biochemistry Department’s research in Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The State-funded Biological and Physical
Sciences Building will provide permanent accommodations for the NMR.
Locating various academic departments and programs within each of the undergraduate
colleges would effectively promote interaction between faculty and students. The Project
would provide an innovative community for a college and a platform for collaboration
between the divisions of Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences. Academic office and
research space will be integrated with the College, as well as one large lecture hall
(600 seats) and two smaller lecture halls (250 seats each) to meet classroom needs.
The Living and Learning Neighborhood would provide an opportunity for the efficient
use of shared meeting space for student activities within the College as well as for
department activities. The campus plans to have dedicated spaces for media, film, art
history, presentations, and lectures to draw faculty and students together and a parking
structure to accommodate approximately 1,200 cars. Co-locating programs and housing
would allow shared infrastructure, thereby lowering costs while activating the campus
and creating a better environment for students, faculty, and staff. The proposed site also
creates an opportunity to improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity by revitalizing
Ridge Walk along the eastern border of the Project site through a relocation and
realignment of the campus loop road. Please refer to the attached Project Location Map
and Project Site Map.
Option 1 is the only alternative that would provide new housing, additional academic
space and more parking in the shortest amount of time – all of which are urgently needed
to meet current and projected demand accompanying increased enrollment. When
compared with current market rates in the surrounding area, the proposed Project is the
best solution for creating affordable housing for undergraduate students. The campus
would proceed with a design-build, fixed-price delivery model, and plans to complete the
new housing component first (fall 2019), followed by new academic space (fall 2020).
This scenario would be the most likely to meet campus and UC systemwide goals.
Option 2A – Purchase Residential Property Off-Campus – Considered and Rejected
As mentioned, UC San Diego is located in La Jolla/University Town Center (UTC)
where housing and rental costs are extremely high. This reduces the availability and
financial feasibility of leasing or buying off-campus developments. The rental market is
so robust in La Jolla/UTC that, although UC San Diego has continually looked for
opportunities to lease or purchase, there has not been an opportunity to secure a large
number of units within any single private sector community. In fact, during the past ten
years, only five apartment complexes in the UTC area have transferred ownership.
Because the UTC area is one of the premium apartment investment markets in San Diego
County, competition for those few properties for sale is fierce and cap rates are
competitively bid downward to historically low rates. Owners of surrounding apartment
communities have little to no interest in negotiating on price or committing to a long-term
master lease.
The other portion of the private market housing in the adjacent community is designated
as condominiums with individual owners and homeowner associations, which typically
house a high percentage of non-UC San Diego residents. Pursuing these opportunities
would not generate enough new beds for students. It would also put the University in the
position of purchasing and operating a property with non-affiliates as homeowners and
customers. In these types of residential arrangements, conflicts tend to occur between
non-affiliates and those connected to the University.
The campus recently assessed several different properties for purchase. However, further
evaluation revealed that these buildings were older wood-frame structures that would
require significant seismic and building code upgrades in order to bring them up to
University of California standards. The purchase of off-campus residential property
would have also triggered environmental issues such as increased traffic and impacts to
the surrounding community, while displacing about 250 residents to make room for
students. The high prices combined with necessary seismic retrofitting and building
modernization costs exceed the cost of new construction. This option was therefore
rejected.
Option 2B – Purchase or Lease Academic Space Off-Campus – Considered and
Rejected
Leasing academic space off campus is not a viable option for undergraduate students and
faculty. Recent evaluations of private market properties indicate that, because of the type
of space and adjacency requirements needed for university-caliber academic space,
appropriate inventory is unavailable. Furthermore, academic buildings in dispersed off-
campus locations would result in operational, space, and service inefficiencies.
Off-campus academic space would deprive faculty of the vitality of on-campus facilities
while failing to achieve effective collaboration with students, which is a key goal of the
Strategic Plan. Leases can make departmental cohesion and interdepartmental
cooperation difficult and are therefore academically suboptimal. For these reasons, the
campus has determined that leasing space would not attract top faculty to the University,
which is another goal of the Strategic Plan. Finally, leasing or purchasing off-campus
space would trigger environmental impacts such as increased traffic, seismic and/or code
upgrades (depending on the age of the property), and displacement of existing tenants
from the space. More information on a specific property would be required to determine
the type of necessary environmental document.
Option 3 – Redevelopment with Public-Private Partnership (PPP) – Considered and
Rejected
The proposed Project seeks to serve core missions of the campus including education,
student housing and dining. Students, faculty and staff must be highly engaged in the
planning process in order to ensure a successful outcome that is affordable to students
and to the University.
To ensure timely Project delivery, the process of stakeholder Project planning would
need to occur simultaneously with a PPP negotiation, which includes maintenance, lease
rates, capital replacement reserves, building standards, schedule of performance,
financing mechanisms, ground lease provisions, cost provisions, and contract processing.
This would add additional time to the schedule and ultimately delay delivery of much-
needed undergraduate housing, academic space, and parking. A lengthy PPP negotiation
could hinder opportunities for successful integration of new housing with new academic
and classroom space, leaving stakeholders disenfranchised. Not only would this approach
delay occupancy of new housing, but the anticipated added costs associated with a longer
schedule would be counterproductive, increasing student housing rates and the Project’s
overall financial feasibility.
Option 4 – “Do Nothing” – Considered and Rejected
As described, current housing inventory far from meets the demands of the campus
community (faculty, staff and students) in the short and long term. Without increasing
housing inventory, UC San Diego:
Would not be able to achieve goals set forth in the Strategic Plan, which may
threaten the ability of the campus to recruit and retain top talent;
Would not be able to comply with the Housing Initiative;
Would not be able to comply with the Carbon Neutrality Initiative;
Would not be able to address current and projected demand for undergraduate
student housing;
Would not progress towards meeting the 50 percent housing goal stated in the
LRDP;
Would not be able to provide sufficient housing to support a two-year, front-end
guarantee to all incoming first-year undergraduate students;
Would not be able to provide enough affordable housing to meet student demand,
forcing these students to live farther away from campus and causing longer
commutes/more traffic on local road ways.
UPDATE ON STUDENT HOUSING AND PLANS FOR NORTH TORREY PINES
LIVING AND LEARNING NEIGHBORHOOD, SAN DIEGO CAMPUS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The San Diego campus will provide an update on its strategy for addressing the housing needs of
its undergraduate and graduate students.
The San Diego campus is embarking on a series of student housing projects in response to the
high demand for on-campus housing. Currently, approximately 4,000 undergraduate and
graduate students are on the waitlist for on-campus housing. Additionally, some of the on-
campus housing facilities are accommodating more students than originally intended (such as
three students sharing a room meant for two). Without additional housing, the shortage will
worsen as student enrollment increases.
The proposed North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood will provide
approximately 2,000 new beds, resident support space, and residential dining for undergraduate
students. In addition to housing, the project will also provide: new instruction and research space
for departments and programs within the Divisions of Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities;
general assignment classrooms; residential life and administrative space for students and staff to
support UC San Diego’s undergraduate college system; and a parking structure for
approximately 1,200 spaces. The project is proposed to be built on a ten-acre parcel.
Co-locating student housing with academic space will facilitate collaboration between students
and faculty across various disciplines and enrich their experiences. The campus anticipates this
mixed-use approach integrating housing, teaching, learning, and social spaces into one location
will lower project costs as a result of economies of scale and shared infrastructure.
The campus expects to request approval of preliminary plans funding for the North Torrey Pines
Living and Learning Neighborhood in fall 2016. This funding would allow the campus to
competitively select and engage a design-build project delivery team to confirm and refine the
scope of work through detailed programming, preliminary design, and cost estimation. Approval
of full budget and associated external financing, as well as design and California Environmental
Quality Act approval, will be requested at a future meeting.
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Demand for On-Campus Housing
Affordable on-campus housing aids in the recruitment and retention of students. It also expands
opportunities to fully integrate new students into the academic and social life of the campus.
Increasing numbers of continuing students prefer to live on campus as well. Part of the attraction
of University-owned housing is the proximity to on-campus amenities, including academic,
research, clinical, and recreational facilities. Students who live on campus are able to get around
campus without a car – by walking, biking or taking campus shuttles. Affordable off-campus
housing options in the San Diego region are few, and those that are available are far from
campus.
The shortage of reasonably priced rentals in the surrounding community strongly affects the
demand for on-campus housing. UC San Diego is located adjacent to La Jolla and University
Town Center (UTC), where housing costs are extremely high and where the apartment vacancy
rate off campus was under five percent in 2015. The average two-bedroom, one-bathroom
apartment in the area adjacent to campus currently rents for $2,063 ($1,031 per student). 1 In
contrast, the monthly rental rate for a two-bedroom, on-campus apartment averages
$1,780 ($890 per student) for undergraduates for a nine-month contract including all utilities. For
graduate students, the monthly rental rate for a two-bedroom, on-campus apartment averages
$1,162 ($581 per student) for a twelve-month lease, excluding costs such as electricity,
cable/internet, and furniture. Each year, the housing rates are established in consultation with an
appointed student advisory group, which includes representatives from all segments of the
student resident population, to ensure agreement.
Previously Implemented Projects, Current Waitlist
UC San Diego’s most recent undergraduate housing projects, completed in 2011, added
1,680 beds at Revelle and Muir Colleges and the north campus transfer housing. During summer
2015, UC San Diego Housing, Dining, and Hospitality (HDH) added more than 1,000 new beds
to the undergraduate housing inventory by converting all remaining single rooms to doubles and
converting double rooms to triples. These modifications to existing housing facilities were made
in excess of the original design capacity for each facility. Despite the additional 1,000 beds, the
waitlist for undergraduate housing continued to grow through fall 2015. When the waitlist
reached a record high of 960 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduates, HDH closed the
waitlist and advised other students to secure off-campus housing. If the waitlist had not been
closed, the campus anticipates more than 2,000 undergraduates would be on the list, with the
majority having little to no chance of securing on-campus housing. The demand for on-campus
housing is expected to grow with increased student enrollment, further exacerbating the housing
shortage.
1 These rental rates were provided RealFacts data, fourth quarter 2015, and covers all of zip code 92122. This
includes the UTC, but excludes La Jolla.
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Housing Guarantee
In order to accommodate undergraduates who wanted to live on campus, starting in the 2013-14
academic year, the campus guaranteed undergraduates four years of campus housing. However,
beginning in 2014-15, due to high demand, that guarantee was reduced to two years. As demand
for undergraduate student housing accompanies enrollment and the number of beds will dwindle
based on commitments from previous years, UC San Diego will be able to accommodate a
smaller proportion of new students each year. Without approximately 2,000 new beds, campus
leadership would have to consider further reducing the housing guarantee to just one year.
In October 2008, a change was made in the housing policy for graduate students, placing a two-
year limit on those living on campus. This affected all new single graduate and professional
students, and couples without children. In response to the campus’ recent Graduate and
Professional Student Experience and Satisfaction Committee Report, the campus established a
goal to offer all incoming single graduate and professional students a two-year guarantee of on-
campus housing.
Unfortunately, UC San Diego is not able to fulfill this guarantee right now, making competitive
recruitment difficult. To meet this goal for fall 2015, the campus would need to house
4,300 graduate and professional students – significantly more than the 2,030 students currently
accommodated. As stated below, two graduate student housing projects are in the design or
construction phase. When they are completed, the campus anticipates being able to meet the two-
year, front-end guarantee for graduate and professional students.
Long Range Development Plan Goal
A goal in UC San Diego’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), approved by the Regents in
2004, is to provide housing for at least half of all students. This aligns with campus sustainability
goals of reducing the number of daily vehicular trips to campus. As shown in Table 1 below, as
of fall 2015, the campus was able to accommodate only about 40 percent of all students. The
anticipated enrollment growth will only making reaching the LRDP goal more challenging.
Table 1: Fall 2015 UCSD Students Housed On Campus
Student Type Fall 2015
2 Enrollment statistics from Fall Third Week Registration Report
3 Data Source for “Students Housed”: Annual Fall Housing Occupancy Report (10/1/15)
4 Based on number of beds needed as of fall 2015
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President’s Student Housing Initiative and Proposed Projects
In January 2016, the President of the University announced a Student Housing Initiative to add a
minimum of 14,000 student beds systemwide by 2020, through various means including
accelerating current housing projects. The projects include undergraduate and graduate student
housing. The initiative aims to provide sufficient, affordable housing for UC students. In
response to the President’s Initiative and the high demand for on-campus housing, the campus
plans to add more than 5,000 beds for undergraduate and graduate students by 2020, as shown in
Table 2 below.
Project Students Beds Anticipated
Completion
Date
Status
Mesa Nueva Single Graduate 1,355 Fall 2017 Approved and in Construction
Nuevo West Single Graduate 800+ Winter 2019-
20
Nuevo East Graduate and
BACKGROUND
The mixed-use North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood Project (Project) will be
developed on a ten-acre parcel. Currently, the land is used for surface parking and a
6,700 assignable square foot (ASF) temporary structure that is home to the
Chemistry/Biochemistry Department’s research in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
spectroscopy. The Project will provide 990,000 to 1,000,000 gross square feet, with the
following facilities: 2,000 new beds for undergraduate students; residential/community dining;
resident support space; permanent space for an undergraduate college, including the provost’s
office, student affairs units and writing program; new instruction and research space for
academic departments and programs; and general assignment classrooms. In addition, the project
will include a parking structure for 1,200 spaces.
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Need for Additional Undergraduate Housing
As stated above, there is very high demand for housing on the San Diego campus. This Project
aims to alleviate the undergraduate demand. With the anticipated enrollment growth, the 2,000
beds proposed will reduce the waitlist while allowing the campus to maintain its two-year
housing guarantee to freshman.
Need for New Facilities to Accommodate an Undergraduate College
The San Diego campus is comprised of six semi-autonomous 5 undergraduate colleges, each with
its own facilities, distinctive educational philosophy, general education and graduation
requirements, and instructional programs. The college system personalizes the delivery of
services to undergraduate students and combines the intimacy of a small institution with the
intellectual breadth and resources of a large research university. Prioritizing student academic
development, the provost of each college manages programs directly within the college,
including academic advising and student academic support services. Every undergraduate
student is assigned to one of six colleges when he or she is admitted to UC San Diego.
The campus is committed to keeping its colleges at a reasonable size to foster community.
Current enrollment at each of the six colleges is under 5,000 students. With enrollment increases
anticipated in the next few years, academic planning is under way to evaluate whether to add a
seventh college. UC San Diego has two options: either add new facilities to the Sixth College or
build a seventh college. Additional facilities would allow the campus to create an innovative
community for an undergraduate college to collaborate with Arts and Humanities and Social
Sciences departments and programs.
Need for Additional Academic Space
Currently, large lecture halls on campus (over 200 seats) are over-utilized. Classrooms with
201 to 300 seats have a utilization rate of 140 percent of standard. 6 For rooms with more than
300 seats, the utilization rate is 137 percent.
With the number of undergraduate students expected to grow by 15 percent from fall
2015 (26,590) to fall 2020 (30,600), the utilization rate is estimated to be 160 percent of standard
for classrooms with 201 to 300 seats, and 157 percent for classrooms with 301 or more seats.
A large lecture hall of 600 seats is needed for undergraduate courses to accommodate high
enrollment, given that the largest classroom size on campus has 417 seats. Large lecture hall
space is also needed for student orientation sessions and events that attract large crowds.
5 The six colleges include: Revelle, Muir, Marshall, Warren, Roosevelt, and Sixth
6 A classroom with 100-percent utilization implies that each seat is occupied for 35 hours a week
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GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS
July 19, 2016
General campus faculty growth is also driven by student growth, and the campus is projecting an
increase of ladder-rank faculty from 853 (fall 2015) to 983 (fall 2020). Additional housing is
needed for them.
Many Social Sciences departments now face a shortage of space, as construction of new facilities
has not kept pace with the evolution of academic priorities and prior campus enrollment growth.
Without new construction, the campus must continue to grapple with the severe lack of space,
hampering efforts to expand current programs for instruction and research.
Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences departments and programs are currently scattered
among several different buildings and would benefit from consolidation. Departments such as
History, Philosophy, Literature, Education Studies, and other related programs cannot benefit
from cross-departmental collaboration and synergies between Social Sciences and Arts and
Humanities. Many of these departments are in antiquated buildings across the campus, some of
which need to be renovated or demolished. Consolidating and relocating these departments
would help the campus reduce a significant portion of its pending deferred maintenance.
Need for Additional Parking
Enrollment on the UC San Diego campus increased from 25,278 students (in 2004) to 33,735
(fall 2015). In addition to more traffic in and around campus, ongoing development in the area
has significantly reduced the availability of parking on campus, especially in the West Campus.
Approximately six million gross square feet of student housing and new instruction and research
facilities were built during this time to address space deficiencies. Most of those new facilities
were constructed on surface parking lots that were not replaced, significantly reducing parking
inventory. Campus parking is usually filled by 8:00 am and remains filled until 4:30 pm. The
only parking that has been added on campus in recent years is located on the East Campus.
Even with tremendous progress made in recent years to reduce the number of single-occupancy
vehicles entering campus, and reduced demand anticipated from the completion of Light Rail
Transit service to campus, additional parking options on the West Campus are critically needed.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Undergraduate Housing
The proposed Project’s approximately 2,000 new undergraduate beds would include a mix of
residence halls and apartments. To support and encourage the undergraduate living and learning
environment, the Project would also include resident support space, market-style dining and
small informal work spaces for study groups. The dining facility would include an open floor
plan with indoor and outdoor seating, and individual service stations to meet community needs.
One of the Project’s goals is to create a ground-level hub where students, faculty, and staff would
cross paths and interact. Residential and quieter contemplative spaces would be above the ground
floor. Co-locating academic, housing, and student activity space would allow buildings to share
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environment for students, faculty, and staff.
Academic Space
The proposed Project would provide an innovative community that integrates college facilities
with academic office and research space in the Divisions of Arts and Humanities and Social
Sciences. To address the need for additional large lecture halls, the Project also provides one
large lecture hall (600 seats) and three smaller lecture halls (two with 250 seats each and one
with 350 seats).
The Living and Learning Neighborhood would promote the efficient use of shared meeting space
for student activities within the undergraduate college as well as for department activities. The
Project will also dedicate space that will bring faculty and students together. This space may be
used for media, film, art history, presentations, and lectures.
As an added benefit, the Project would free up space in various campus buildings for other
academic and administrative uses. The Project would also help address a portion of the campus’
deferred maintenance need by accommodating departments and programs currently in old
dilapidated buildings, which can then be refurbished or demolished.
Parking
The project site is currently comprised of two separate but adjacent surface parking lots
providing a total of 970 parking spaces. Construction of the proposed project would eliminate
these spaces, and therefore any plans must include replacement parking.
As part of the proposed Project, the campus plans to provide replacement parking in a multi-level
configuration of approximately 1,200 spaces, increasing capacity by 230 net spaces. The campus
would likely pursue a design solution where most parking would be underground in order to
maximize land use.
Removal of the “Bubble Building”
In addition to the surface parking lots, the project site also includes a 6,700 ASF temporary
structure known as the “Bubble Building,” a pressurized metal-free, tensile structure specifically
designed for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy research. The NMR will be
permanently relocated to the new Biological and Physical Sciences Building when the facility is
complete in 2018, and the “Bubble Building” will be removed from campus.
Project Schedule
The campus plans to request Regents’ approval of preliminary plans funding in fall 2016. The
design-build delivery method would be proposed for this project. This funding would allow the
campus to competitively select and engage a design-build project delivery team to confirm and
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GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS
July 19, 2016
refine the scope of work through detailed programming, preliminary design, and project cost
estimation prior to submitting the project for full budget and financing approval by the Regents.
The funding would also support site surveys, specialty consultants, and preparation of
environmental documentation pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Approval of budget, external financing and design (following action pursuant to CEQA) would
be requested at future meetings.
Because of the size and scope of the project, the construction duration would deliver project
components in phases, with the goal of completing the majority of the undergraduate housing by
fall 2019 and the remainder of the Project in 2020.
Key to Acronyms
HDH UC San Diego Housing, Dining, and Hospitality
LRDP Long Range Development Plan
NTP LLN North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood
NMR Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
PPP Public Private Partnership
UTC University Town Center
Attachment 3: Alternatives Considered
ATTACHMENT 3
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
housing and academic space is below.
Option 1 - Redevelopment with University-delivered, New Construction on Campus
– Preferred
The preferred solution would redevelop a ten-acre parcel on campus to create the North
Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood (NTP LLN). The Project would provide
approximately 2,000 new beds for undergraduate students, new academic space for
departments and programs in Social Sciences and Humanities, classroom space and
structured parking. To support and encourage the undergraduate living and learning
environment, the Project would also include a food service market, casual dining, and
smaller work spaces that could be reserved for study groups. One of the Project aims is to
create a ground-level hub where faculty, staff and students would cross paths and
interact. Residential and quieter spaces would be above the ground floor.
The Project would be located on two existing adjacent surface parking lots just east of
North Torrey Pines Road and west of Ridge Walk, a prominent north-south pedestrian
corridor. This location will facilitate access to the Living and Learning Neighborhood.
NTP LLN would require removal of the “Bubble Building,” which has provided a
temporary home for the Chemistry/Biochemistry Department’s research in Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The State-funded Biological and Physical
Sciences Building will provide permanent accommodations for the NMR.
Locating various academic departments and programs within each of the undergraduate
colleges would effectively promote interaction between faculty and students. The Project
would provide an innovative community for a college and a platform for collaboration
between the divisions of Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences. Academic office and
research space will be integrated with the College, as well as one large lecture hall
(600 seats) and two smaller lecture halls (250 seats each) to meet classroom needs.
The Living and Learning Neighborhood would provide an opportunity for the efficient
use of shared meeting space for student activities within the College as well as for
department activities. The campus plans to have dedicated spaces for media, film, art
history, presentations, and lectures to draw faculty and students together and a parking
structure to accommodate approximately 1,200 cars. Co-locating programs and housing
would allow shared infrastructure, thereby lowering costs while activating the campus
and creating a better environment for students, faculty, and staff. The proposed site also
creates an opportunity to improve pedestrian and bicycle connectivity by revitalizing
Ridge Walk along the eastern border of the Project site through a relocation and
realignment of the campus loop road. Please refer to the attached Project Location Map
and Project Site Map.
Option 1 is the only alternative that would provide new housing, additional academic
space and more parking in the shortest amount of time – all of which are urgently needed
to meet current and projected demand accompanying increased enrollment. When
compared with current market rates in the surrounding area, the proposed Project is the
best solution for creating affordable housing for undergraduate students. The campus
would proceed with a design-build, fixed-price delivery model, and plans to complete the
new housing component first (fall 2019), followed by new academic space (fall 2020).
This scenario would be the most likely to meet campus and UC systemwide goals.
Option 2A – Purchase Residential Property Off-Campus – Considered and Rejected
As mentioned, UC San Diego is located in La Jolla/University Town Center (UTC)
where housing and rental costs are extremely high. This reduces the availability and
financial feasibility of leasing or buying off-campus developments. The rental market is
so robust in La Jolla/UTC that, although UC San Diego has continually looked for
opportunities to lease or purchase, there has not been an opportunity to secure a large
number of units within any single private sector community. In fact, during the past ten
years, only five apartment complexes in the UTC area have transferred ownership.
Because the UTC area is one of the premium apartment investment markets in San Diego
County, competition for those few properties for sale is fierce and cap rates are
competitively bid downward to historically low rates. Owners of surrounding apartment
communities have little to no interest in negotiating on price or committing to a long-term
master lease.
The other portion of the private market housing in the adjacent community is designated
as condominiums with individual owners and homeowner associations, which typically
house a high percentage of non-UC San Diego residents. Pursuing these opportunities
would not generate enough new beds for students. It would also put the University in the
position of purchasing and operating a property with non-affiliates as homeowners and
customers. In these types of residential arrangements, conflicts tend to occur between
non-affiliates and those connected to the University.
The campus recently assessed several different properties for purchase. However, further
evaluation revealed that these buildings were older wood-frame structures that would
require significant seismic and building code upgrades in order to bring them up to
University of California standards. The purchase of off-campus residential property
would have also triggered environmental issues such as increased traffic and impacts to
the surrounding community, while displacing about 250 residents to make room for
students. The high prices combined with necessary seismic retrofitting and building
modernization costs exceed the cost of new construction. This option was therefore
rejected.
Option 2B – Purchase or Lease Academic Space Off-Campus – Considered and
Rejected
Leasing academic space off campus is not a viable option for undergraduate students and
faculty. Recent evaluations of private market properties indicate that, because of the type
of space and adjacency requirements needed for university-caliber academic space,
appropriate inventory is unavailable. Furthermore, academic buildings in dispersed off-
campus locations would result in operational, space, and service inefficiencies.
Off-campus academic space would deprive faculty of the vitality of on-campus facilities
while failing to achieve effective collaboration with students, which is a key goal of the
Strategic Plan. Leases can make departmental cohesion and interdepartmental
cooperation difficult and are therefore academically suboptimal. For these reasons, the
campus has determined that leasing space would not attract top faculty to the University,
which is another goal of the Strategic Plan. Finally, leasing or purchasing off-campus
space would trigger environmental impacts such as increased traffic, seismic and/or code
upgrades (depending on the age of the property), and displacement of existing tenants
from the space. More information on a specific property would be required to determine
the type of necessary environmental document.
Option 3 – Redevelopment with Public-Private Partnership (PPP) – Considered and
Rejected
The proposed Project seeks to serve core missions of the campus including education,
student housing and dining. Students, faculty and staff must be highly engaged in the
planning process in order to ensure a successful outcome that is affordable to students
and to the University.
To ensure timely Project delivery, the process of stakeholder Project planning would
need to occur simultaneously with a PPP negotiation, which includes maintenance, lease
rates, capital replacement reserves, building standards, schedule of performance,
financing mechanisms, ground lease provisions, cost provisions, and contract processing.
This would add additional time to the schedule and ultimately delay delivery of much-
needed undergraduate housing, academic space, and parking. A lengthy PPP negotiation
could hinder opportunities for successful integration of new housing with new academic
and classroom space, leaving stakeholders disenfranchised. Not only would this approach
delay occupancy of new housing, but the anticipated added costs associated with a longer
schedule would be counterproductive, increasing student housing rates and the Project’s
overall financial feasibility.
Option 4 – “Do Nothing” – Considered and Rejected
As described, current housing inventory far from meets the demands of the campus
community (faculty, staff and students) in the short and long term. Without increasing
housing inventory, UC San Diego:
Would not be able to achieve goals set forth in the Strategic Plan, which may
threaten the ability of the campus to recruit and retain top talent;
Would not be able to comply with the Housing Initiative;
Would not be able to comply with the Carbon Neutrality Initiative;
Would not be able to address current and projected demand for undergraduate
student housing;
Would not progress towards meeting the 50 percent housing goal stated in the
LRDP;
Would not be able to provide sufficient housing to support a two-year, front-end
guarantee to all incoming first-year undergraduate students;
Would not be able to provide enough affordable housing to meet student demand,
forcing these students to live farther away from campus and causing longer
commutes/more traffic on local road ways.
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