UC Santa Barbara wants to replace the two-story, 412-bed Santa Rosa Hall, pictured on Monday, with a new four-building complex that would accommodate 1,688 beds.
UC Santa Barbara wants to replace the two-story, 412-bed Santa Rosa Hall, pictured on Monday, with a new four-building complex that would accommodate 1,688 beds. Credit: Evelyn Spence / Noozhawk photo

It’s often said that when one door closes, another door opens. 

In the case of UC Santa Barbara, when one dorm building comes down, four more take its place. 

The university wants to replace the two-story, 412-bed Santa Rosa Hall with a new four-building complex that would accommodate 1,688 beds as part of the East Campus Housing Project.

The UC Board of Regents approved designs and a $566 million budget for the project last December. That budget includes funding for preliminary plans, working drawings, construction and equipment.

The California Coastal Commission is expected to review the proposal on May 13. 

Santa Rosa Hall opened in 1955 off UCEN Road. It is located near two other two-story residential dorms: Anacapa Hall and Santa Cruz Hall. 

Those three, with the nearby eight-story San Miguel and San Nichols residence halls, are known as the Channel Island 5 residences on the university’s East Campus.

UCSB is also seeking exemptions from height and parking requirements from the commission. The maximum building height for that site is 65 feet, but the project includes one 85-foot-tall building, one 75-foot-tall building and two 65-foot-tall buildings, according to the Coastal Commission report.

The university is also required to provide a combination of on-site and off-site parking. However, it is proposing to waive all on-site parking and is asking the commission to allow residential parking at campus lots 22, 38 and 50. 

The project is part of UCSB’s goal to add 3,500 new beds on campus as part of its 2010 Long Range Development Plan.
The project is part of UCSB’s goal to add 3,500 new beds on campus as part of its 2010 Long Range Development Plan. Credit: Courtesy rendering

According to the Coastal Commission report, a university parking study showed that the existing lots would be able to accommodate the new students living in the proposed development. 

The proposal also includes adding 1,688 bicycle parking spaces.  

Under the proposal, 131 non-native trees with 166 drought-tolerant tree species would be removed and replaced. An environmental resource specialist would conduct pre-construction bird surveys to make sure any sensitive bird species would not be negatively impacted by construction. 

The project is funded by a combination of external financing and grant funds, according to the UC Regents report.

Construction is set to start this June and is expected to take 2½ years, according to the commission report. 

The East Campus project is the second phase of a two-phase project to provide 3,500 new undergraduate student beds. 

Construction on the San Benito housing project, pictured here last week, is well underway.
Construction on the San Benito housing project, pictured here last week, is well underway. Credit: Evelyn Spence / Noozhawk photo

The first phase included construction of the San Benito housing project, which started last summer. That project will add 2,224 student beds in seven apartment-style buildings by fall 2027.

San Benito is being built on the northwest corner of campus on a roughly 5-acre site between Mesa Road and Stadium Road, near Harder Stadium and across the road from the campus police department. 

The university is building the new apartments and residential halls instead of the controversial Munger Hall project that would have had 3,500 students in a nine-story residence hall.

The university revised its housing plans after backlash from students, staff and local officials, who were concerned about overcrowding and safety because of the building’s size. Others criticized the building’s lack of windows and natural light.

Public comment requests for the May 13 meeting can be submitted here.

— Noozhawk staff writer Rebecca Caraway can be reached at rcaraway@noozhawk.com.