The UC Board of Regents will review and vote on two major campus projects at its next meeting.
The Regents will be asked to consider Student Housing West as well as the Kresge College renewal. The campus published final environmental impact reports for both projects at the end of February.
The Regents meet March 13–14 at UCLA. The agenda will soon be posted online, and the meeting will be streamed live.
Both Student Housing West and Kresge College are focused on supporting the needs of UC Santa Cruz students.
Though UC Santa Cruz provides housing for 9,300 students—roughly half of its student body—there remains an urgent need for affordable campus housing, especially for upper-division students who otherwise would be living in the surrounding community. Student Housing West is the single largest housing project underway in Santa Cruz County.
As proposed, Student Housing West will create 3,072 new beds at two sites on the UC Santa Cruz main campus, one along Heller Drive, the other along Hagar Drive. Additionally, it will provide a new childcare facility that will be able to extend service to the children of faculty and staff, in addition to students.
UC Santa Cruz brought Student Housing West as a discussion item during the January meeting of the Regents.
The Kresge College renewal aims to update the iconic college by knitting beloved landmarks with new upgrades to meet the needs of today’s student body. The college was constructed in 1973.
Of Kresge’s 21 existing buildings, 11 will be renovated and rebuilt. Others will be removed to make way for new viewsheds, commons, gathering spaces, and accessibility features, including a “stramp” (a hybrid staircase and ramp) for wheelchair users. Buildings meant for similar uses—living, learning, support—will be grouped together rather than sprinkled haphazardly or placed inconveniently far from each other.
Plans for the north section of the Kresge campus would include new and larger residence hall accommodations; a new academic plaza and academic facility; the Kresge provost’s offices and classrooms, including a 600-seat lecture hall, which would become the largest of its kind on campus; a 150-seat lecture hall; and 50- and 35-seat classrooms. A 48-seat computing lab is also included.
The Regents will also learn more about the campus plan to rebuild University House and Event Center.
