Higher education institutions throughout the state – including SDSU – are experiencing a significant increase in student enrollment demand.  For fall 2007, SDSU received more than 58,000 applications for almost 9,300 openings. This represents a 9 percent increase over the previous year. At the same time, employers are requiring a more educated workforce as a result of our changing economy.

In order to accommodate increasing enrollment demand and take its CSU-mandated share of enrollment, SDSU’s Campus Master Plan increases enrollment capacity from 25,000 FTES to 35,000 FTES.  (The number of FTES is calculated by dividing the number of units a student is taking by 15. For example, a student taking 12 units will constitute 0.8 FTES. Because SDSU has both full and part-time students, the number of students on campus is often higher than the number of FTES.) This increase in the number of students would occur gradually over the next 20 years at a projected rate of 3% per year, reaching 35,000 FTES in 2026/27. The university is also aiming to increase its graduate student population to 20% of the total student body.

With an increase in the student population comes an increased need for student housing. The Campus Master Plan includes plans for new living space for an additional 2,976 students on campus, which will nearly double the existing amount of student housing on campus.

In addition to housing located on campus, the university currently manages housing for 1,720 students within walking distance to campus. Based on the increase in student housing in the Campus Master Plan and projections for future housing near campus, student housing under SDSU control (on campus and university-managed near campus) is expected to increase to nearly 10,000 beds by 2025. This will enable SDSU to house 100% of its freshman and 94% of its sophomores in university-managed housing.

SDSU is also working with private developers to provide even more student housing within walking distance to campus and around nearby trolley stations. While SDSU would not own this housing, it could be managed by the university.

Future classroom and support facilities to support the increased number of students will be located at Alvarado Campus. This property is currently owned by SDSU Foundation and is immediately adjacent to the eastern edge of campus along Alvarado Road.

Alvarado Campus will be the new home for SDSU’s College of Education, as well as new academic and research facilities for the College of Engineering, College of Health & Human Services and College of Sciences. A parking structure to serve these facilities is also part of the plans.

The Alvarado Campus property is currently included in the College Community Redevelopment Project. SDSU’s plans for this property are consistent with the plans proposed in the Redevelopment Project. Including this property in the Campus Master Plan Revision will allow SDSU to seek state funding for new facilities on the property. Alternatively, SDSU could pursue a public/private partnership in the future to fund development of the site.

  Alvarado Campus
  Map

Located on SDSU-owned property north of Interstate-8 and west of College Avenue, Adobe Falls will be the site for high quality, affordable housing for SDSU faculty and staff. San Diego’s housing costs are some of the highest in the nation, and this is impacting the university’s efforts to recruit and retain outstanding faculty and staff. Providing a more affordable housing option close to campus will help SDSU in its recruitment and retention efforts. No students will be housed at Adobe Falls.

In the 2005 plan, 540 homes were proposed for the site. After further study and input from the community, the number of homes planned for Adobe Falls has been substantially reduced from the original plan.

This project will be constructed in phases over the next several years and was carefully designed to ensure that there will be no significant impacts on residential streets in the surrounding community. If no alternate access can be provided to the site, a maximum of 172 homes will be developed – a more than 68 percent reduction from the original proposal. If alternate access can be provided, up to 348 homes could be developed on the site.

The Adobe Falls property is divided by its topography into two areas – the “upper village” and “lower village.” In the first phase, 48 townhomes will be constructed in the “upper village.” The “upper village” would be the first phase of development.

Because the “lower village” was studied at a conceptual level, a range of 124 to 300 homes are proposed that depend on the vehicular access that can be provided to the site.

• If no alternate access is provided, 124 townhomes are proposed.
• If gated access is provided through Del Cerro and to the west through Smoke Tree Condominiums, up to 174 townhomes could be constructed. Permission is needed from the Smoke Tree Homeowners Association to secure this alternate access.
• If an alternate access can be secured through Smoke Tree or another option to the west (no access through Del Cerro) up to 300 condominium units could be developed.

In addition to providing affordable homes for faculty and staff, the Adobe Falls project will substantially improve the surrounding environment. The project includes almost 13 acres of open space. More than 9.5 acres of wetlands and native habitat will be preserved and enhanced as part of the project.

The Alvarado Hotel will include up to 120 rooms and studio suites that will provide nearby accommodations for guests of the university, visiting scholars and conference attendees. Facilities at the hotel will include meeting rooms, a hospitality suite, an exercise room and a business center.

Because of the hotel’s proximity to the university, it can also provide internships and training opportunities for students in SDSU’s Hospitality & Tourism Management program.

The existing student union building, Aztec Center, will undergo a comprehensive renovation and expansion. Aztec Center was built in 1968 and is the oldest student union building in the CSU system. This project will provide new meeting/conference rooms, social space, food services, retail services, recreational facilities and student organization offices to accommodate the growing student body.

A university conference center will be constructed adjacent to the east side of Cox Arena. This 70,000 square-foot facility will provide additional meeting space for conferences and symposia hosted on campus.

The recent California Supreme Court decision in City of Marina v. Board of Trustees of the California State University requires that CSU seek funding for its fair-share of the costs of off-site transportation improvements made necessary by university development. This decision applies to the entire California State University system, including San Diego State University.

As a result of the approval of the Campus Master Plan, the CSU will make a request through the state budget process for more than $6.4 million to pay for SDSU's fair share of mitigations needed on streets and intersections in the City of San Diego and the City of La Mesa. In addition, SDSU will support Caltrans' efforts to seek $10.1 million for improvements to freeway interchanges that are impacted as a result of campus development.

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