Is Sac State turning into a ‘university village’? Upperclass housing to break ground

Sacramento State juniors, seniors and graduate students will have access to on-campus housing starting in 2021, thanks to a new housing project that breaks ground in May.

The $164 million project will include six four-story buildings, with 284 apartments and 1,100 beds, according to a press release from California State University, Sacramento.

This new complex is the university’s latest move in an effort to shed its “commuter school” reputation. The project, known for now as South Campus Housing, is one of six housing developments expected to open in the next four years, providing more than 4,000 beds near campus to students. A 750-bed complex, The Crossings, opened on Ramona Avenue last summer.

The housing developments, as well as city-backed efforts to make the nearby stretch of Folsom Boulevard more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, are part of the wider attempt to turn the university’s surrounding area into a “university village,” with student-friendly transit and amenities.

More housing on and near the campus could also help the university to reduce parking woes and traffic complaints, with more students walking, biking or taking shuttles to campus.

The California State University Board of Trustees approved the final plans for the South Campus development on Jan. 23, Sacramento State said.

South Campus Housing will replace the off-campus Upper Eastside Lofts on Folsom Boulevard, which offers 400 beds to upper division students. The Lofts will close in 2022, when the lease expires, Sacramento State said.

The new housing project’s mainstay will be 212 four-bedroom apartments, with one bed per room. The complex will also have 60 two-bedroom units, with two beds per room, and 12 one-bed studio apartments, according to the release. Amenities will include a swimming pool, a cafe, a fitness center and a community room, Sacramento State said.

The new complex “will engage the resident students in the campus community and enhance their learning experience, thereby contributing to our goal of improving retention and graduate rates,” university President Robert Nelsen said in the release.

The complex will increase the total on-campus housing by more than half; currently, the dorms on campus for freshman and sophomore students offer about 2,100 beds, Sacramento State said.

“We are excited about adding 11.5 acres to the campus’ footprint and thank the city of Sacramento for working with us,” said Jim Reinhart, University Enterprises Inc. executive director, in the release. “Adding 1,100 beds to the supply of on-campus housing will help to keep market rents reasonable for our students.”

The complex will be located at the current site of the Dan McAuliffe Memorial Ballparks on College Town Drive, effectively expanding the campus’ footprint past State University Drive, the release said. As part of the contract, Sacramento State is required to build a new ballpark at the city-owned Army Depot Park to replace McAuliffe.

University Enterprises Inc., Sacramento State’s commercial services arm, is purchasing the 11.5-acre site from the city of Sacramento for $2.3 million. The university will lease 1.5 adjacent acres to UEI to provide space for parking, Sacramento State said.

UEI fielded proposals from developers for the site and chose EdR, a college housing developer, for the project. EdR also developed and managed the Upper Eastside Lofts project, according to EdR’s website. EdR was acquired by Greystar, a national rental housing developer, in September, which will take over the project.

Greystar will be responsible for building, financing, operating and managing the complex, according to Sacramento State. The university and UEI “will support the project but provide no funding,” the release said.

Greystar will pay UEI $5.7 million for the land and its use, and UEI will lease Greystar the space for 85 years. UEI and Greystar will split the $9 million cost for the new ballpark at Army Depot Park.

Steinberg Hart is the architect on the project, and Sundt Construction, which is building Sacramento State’s new Ernest E. Tschannen Science Complex, is the general contractor, the university said.