An excavator tore down the walls of the old Child Development Center at the edge of the San Diego City College campus after the building was vacated, fenced off and overgrown for years.
The demolition started the morning of Sept. 19 in preparation for the construction of low-income housing for City College students.
The block between B, C, 16th and 17th streets will be the site of the 800-unit student housing project, which will include a seven- and eight-story building complex, according to a press release from San Diego Community College District emailed to contacts on Sept. 15.
These units will house 2-4 students, and will first serve students in need of housing, including low-income students, veterans and foster youth. The monthly rent per bed is planned to be $500 less than market rent.
“They’ll have shared spaces like laundry facilities, dining halls, student study spaces,” said Information Officer Cesar Gumapas, “and then it will also have student support programs.”
This construction project is possible as part of the California Affordable Student Housing Program and with funds from California grant program SB 169, which allocated $250 million to community colleges.
Vice President of Administrative Services John Parker said funding for the project will include a combination of $75 million from the state, revenue bonds and private funding.
“The estimated (total cost of construction) as of today is in the area of $230-250 million,” he said. “With the escalating cost of construction, I see it going closer to $300 million by the time we break ground.”
The San Diego City College Board of Trustees approved the start of construction through a partnership with The Michaels Organization, a national affordable housing developer.
The Michaels Organization is behind the development of 6,000 units of university student housing nationwide and has also been selected for the San Diego Affordable Housing Project in downtown.
Diego Bethea, ASG president, said on-campus housing will be beneficial to students, especially with the introduction of the first bachelor’s degree program at City College.
“Being housed pretty much on campus will take care of the housing costs as well as the transportation costs,” he said.
Sahanna Abdurraham, a third-year film student, lives in El Cajon and stays with her boyfriend during the week in Encanto to make it easier to commute to school.
When asked how her experience as a student would change if she could live on campus, she said, “It would save me a lot of money on gas, it would just be easier, like if I ever want to volunteer for a club or just events here, it would just be so much easier.”
While waiting for approved funding for the construction, the site will be converted into an unpaved parking lot once demolition is completed. According to the press release, the student housing complex is expected to be completed in 2028.
City Times Media multimedia journalists Keila Menjivar, Eve McNally and Marco Guajardo contributed to this report.
