The Legislature and Governor make the final decisions on housing projects that will be funded. The decision is expected to be made in the June 2023 budget.

The designs for the Cabrillo-UCSC Housing project will be approved by the Division of State Architect. This state approval is necessary in order to have some instruction in the proposed complex, such as early childhood education and occasional classes in a planned community room. DSA approval can take six to nine months for a complex project.

The expected groundbreaking date is planned for September 2024. Meeting this deadline requires an aggressive schedule of architectural designs and construction drawings, timely approval of the drawing by the DSA, and timely delivery of state revenue to fund the project.

The current schedule calls for completion of the project in the fall of 2026.

To live in the residence hall, students will need to meet state requirements, which include low-income status, enrolling in 12 units or more each term, and remaining in good academic standing. The housing program will give first priority to students who are homeless, transitioning from foster care, and veterans in need of housing.

The project envisions 376 beds for Cabrillo students (60%) and 248 beds for UCSC students (40%). This reflects the distribution of funding pledged to the project by the state (for Cabrillo students) and by UCSC

Yes, if they want to. UCSC will determine the specific students that are housed at the Cabrillo campus, and the intent of the project is to foster seamless and easy transfer between Cabrillo and UCSC. In that sense, continuous residence at the same housing site may be a benefit for students intending to transfer to UCSC.

The housing project will have minimal overall traffic impacts, and is likely to reduce overall vehicle trip miles for students commuting to the Cabrillo campus. This is because roughly 300 students who would normally be traveling to campus by car will no longer need to do so. Additionally, the college uses a $40 transportation fee to provide free bus service on Santa Cruz Metro. There may be traffic impacts between Cabrillo and UCSC for upper-division students.