In a little less than a year, Cabrillo College will break ground on a sprawling, multi-story housing project on its Aptos campus, a development that will offer 624 beds for students attending both the college and UC Santa Cruz.
Groundbreaking is estimated to begin in November 2025, after being delayed from this year as UCSC and Cabrillo officials hammered out the complexities.
It is expected to open in 2027.
Once complete, the project will include a child care center, situated underneath 25 family apartments. It will also include laundry facilities.
There will also be four-bedroom apartments with two bathrooms and a mini-kitchenette.
It includes offices for both academic and mental health counseling and a space for health services.
A sky study lounge on the upper floors will offer ocean views, and there will be a rooftop garden, outdoor study areas and a pavilion for outdoor gatherings.
The development will be located on Cabrillo’s lower campus—off of Cabrillo College Drive—in a grassy field used for soccer games by the college and other community members on weekends.
“That’s one concern,” Cabrillo President Matt Wetstein said. “We’re going to lose some community soccer space.”
But with housing costs in Santa Cruz County among the highest in the nation—and with a recent survey of 65,000 community college students showing that roughly 20% are facing homelessness at any time—the project meets a critical need, he said.
The project will also help Santa Cruz County meet its Regional Housing Needs Allocation requirements set by the state, Wetstein said.
“This student housing project will greatly benefit our students, 20% of whom are housing insecure, and will help alleviate the housing crisis in our local community,” he said.
To qualify for the housing, students must be taking 12 units, be making progress toward a degree and be earning a C average or better. They must also be considered low-income, earning 30% to 50% of the median household income.
College officials briefly considered placing the project on the hilly area above the horticulture building, but opted for the flatter soccer field because it’s easier to develop and nearer the necessary infrastructure, he said.
To pay for the project, UCSC will issue bonds and the state of California will pay them. Neither Cabrillo College nor taxpayers will be responsible for the costs.
UCSC will contribute an additional $70 million to the construction costs, bringing the total project cost to $181 million.
“We are thrilled to see this student housing project advancing to the next phase,” said UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive. “It will provide essential, affordable housing for our students and Cabrillo students. The project will also strengthen the transfer pathway between our institutions, giving students the opportunity to start at Cabrillo, then finish with a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz, all while living in the same housing. That is both unique and extremely beneficial.”
The complex is one of three joint student housing projects between the UC and the state Community College systems, and the first such partnership between these segments in the state’s history.
The other two are between Riverside City College and UC Riverside, and Merced College and UC Merced.
