The construction of San Diego State’s multimillion-dollar New Student Residence Hall is officially underway.
The new student housing site is located on the west side of campus next to Chapultepec Hall.
Jim Cleaton, SDSU’s director of construction, said the new hall will house just over 800 students in double and triple-style rooms.
It will feature multiple outdoor courtyards, roof decks, study areas, a 3,850 square-foot community center and a new market.
The total construction budget for the hall is $130,000,000.
“The hall has a lot of ‘San Diego living’ aspects much like Zura Hall,” Cleaton said, “The outside and inside space will blend and blur together with study spaces and areas where students can interact.”
He said the building’s architectural design complements SDSU’s Spanish-style buildings like Hepner Hall and the student union.
The projected completion date is July 31, 2019.
The dorm was originally designed in the draft Environmental Report to include three phases. Phases II and III included a 14-story residence tower and four 11-story towers.
Concerned residents said construction would threaten 85 rare and endangered species of plants and animals in a website they created, “SaveAztecCanyon.org.”
Residents were also concerned about potential problems caused by more than 1,000 more students living in buildings adjacent to residential homes.
Signs promoting the cause could be seen on lawns all over the College Area.
Former SDSU president Elliot Hirshman chose to reduce the height of phase II and eliminate phase III because of the negative environmental impact it would cause.
Phase II, though, was never given a timeline for completion.
Cleaton said the new residence hall will also supplement Chapultepec’s outdoor and social amenities.
“The building was designed in a way so students in Chapultepec can easily access and share the courtyards and community space because it currently doesn’t have as many,” Cleaton said.
He said he is also aware of the new residence hall’s close proximity to the neighborhood, on-campus apartments and the canyon behind the construction site.
“We met with people from the neighborhood and reviewed environmental impact reports to get mitigation requirements we needed to meet to build (the hall),” Cleaton said.
Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences junior Keaulani Quiatchon works as a desk assistant in Chapultepec.
She said she understands why SDSU wants to build more housing, however, the construction has created tension among residents in the area because of the noise.
“Some people in Chappy are upset because they’re paying basically the same amount as other residents on the other side of campus but have to live with the noise every day,” Quiatchon said.
She also said parking has become an issue because the new residence hall is being built on Chapultepec’s old student parking lot.
“Parking on campus is already a struggle,” Quiatchon said. “Now that Chappy doesn’t have a parking lot, students have to park in P12 or P7 which limits the number of open spots to commuter students.”
Cleaton said the new residence hall will have handicapped parking spots and a few spaces for university officials, but no student parking.
Director of Housing Eric Hansen said the demand for parking among students who reside on campus has decreased significantly over the past several years.
“As more students are living on campus, the overall demand is expected to go down,” Hansen said in an email. “Students who bring cars will be able to park in existing lots and structures.”
Although some residents are unhappy with the construction now, Quiatchon said the new hall can ultimately strengthen the community on the west side of campus because new students won’t feel as isolated.
Kinesiology junior Nicole Kelly lived in Chapultepec her freshman year.
She said she rarely invited her friends to her dorm because she felt there was a lack of study spots and appealing hangout areas.
“It’s nice that freshmen won’t need to go to the other side of campus for good food and a fun place to hang out,” Kelly said.
She said even though the new residence hall is still a far walk from the center of campus, she likes SDSU’s decision to expand west and build a better community among students.
