UCSC to Break Ground on Student Housing West Development, Regardless of Litigation
Guaranteed housing is a bygone ideal rather than a realistic expectation for UC Santa Cruz students in 2023. With only one year of guaranteed housing for first-years, students are quickly thrust into the highly competitive Santa Cruz housing market. In 2017, then-Chancellor George R. Blumenthal…
Student Housing West Stalled by Legal Action Again
After being stalled through legal action two years ago, UC Santa Cruz’s Student Housing West project (SHW) hit a nearly identical roadblock on April 15. The East Meadow Action Committee (EMAC) filed their second lawsuit against the UC Regents, alleging that the reapproval of developing…
UCSC Student Housing West Project Won’t Break Ground Until Earliest Spring 2022
After five years of continued litigation and complaints, the UC Santa Cruz Student Housing West (SHW) project was re-approved by the UC regents on March 18. Ongoing lawsuits from environmental committees and organizations forced them to restart the environmental review process. The lawsuits primarily contested…
Student Housing West Development Stalls
Two ongoing lawsuits have brought Student Housing West (SHW) to a standstill. UC Santa Cruz student enrollment increased by about 23 percent between 2013 and 2017, yet housing expansion has not been proportionate. To address the deficit, UCSC approved a new housing development plan in…
Student Housing West Faces Two Lawsuits
Following nearly two years of debate, a pair of local environmental groups are suing UC Santa Cruz over the approval of Student Housing West. The two complaints, filed April 24 and 25 by local conservation groups Habitat and Watershed Caretakers (HAWC) and the East Meadow…
Student Housing West Approved
Student Housing West (SHW) is set and ready to begin major construction, which will have major impacts for the Santa Cruz community. On April 1 the UC Board of Regents approved the proposed SHW, a construction project aiming to provide additional campus housing to students,…
East Meadow to be Developed
Students, alumni and faculty all confronted UC Santa Cruz administrators and a Capstone Development representative with a multitude of concerns with the Long-Range Development Plan (LRDP) and Student Housing West (SHW) at the Stevenson Event Center Monday evening. Of particular concern was the announcement of…
The Many Faces of Capstone
In their efforts to manage the costs of meeting the demand for housing, UCSC administrators may have entered into contractual negotiations with Capstone Development without a full picture of its past as a company. UCSC selected Capstone Development to take part in a public–private partnership…
Housing Plan Hits New Roadblock
Building new student housing on the UC Santa Cruz campus continues to be a moving target. The original plan called for 3,000 beds built on 20 acres, stretching from the Kresge parking lot to the Porter Dining Hall. An environmental impact statement reduced the total…
Private Developer Chosen for Student Housing West
UC Santa Cruz’s moved forward this week in developing the Student Housing West (SHW) project, which will bring 3,000 beds to campus. The SHW planning committee chose Capstone Development Partners as the private company to participate in the public- private partnership (P3) model, a way…