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New student housing approved for SF State, two other CSU campuses

Main campus at San Francisco State University
San Francisco State
/
Flickr / Creative Commons
Main campus at San Francisco State University

The Cal State Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to approve plans for all three projects.

They had already been approved to receive funding through the Higher Education Student Housing Grant program. The Legislature awarded CSU nearly a half-billion dollars to build nearly 3,100 affordable beds across nine campuses last year. The grant was created to address the high price of rent and living across the state that has impacted students' ability to attend college.

SF State President Lynn Mahoney said “access to safe, stable and affordable housing is one of the leading predictors for student success. And expanding access to affordable housing to freshmen in the extremely expensive Bay Area-market is particularly critical."

Mahoney said it's common for the campus to have more than 2,000 students on their waitlist for housing. Although the campus saw waitlist numbers fall below that this fall, Mahoney said that's because "they've given up asking for campus housing."

The San Francisco State West Campus Green Student Housing and Health Center plan includes building a 120,000 square-foot, six-story dormitory with beds for 750 students. The project also includes a three-story, nearly 50,000 square-foot building with dining and a health center.

SF State estimates construction to start on the project this May, with students occupying the building by December 2024.

Sunni M. Khalid is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, having worked in print, radio, television, and web journalism.