More student housing for the University of California-Irvine may be on the horizon thanks to the Irvine Co.
The Newport Beach master planner and developer is pursuing plans to build an apartment community exclusively for UCI students, along with parking and retail, on 19 acres of the company’s UCI Research Park, a 185-acre office park next to the school.
The proposed project follows recent discussions at Irvine City Hall seeking solutions to concerns about students living in traditional residential communities.
This would be the first designated student housing project led by a private developer on non-campus grounds for the growing university, whose campus is nearing the maximum bed count that was put in place more than a decade ago.
If all goes according to plan, the project could break ground by next year.
It would be the largest housing project for UCI—which has nearly 30,000 undergraduate students—in over a decade.
Irvine Co. recently kicked off its entitlement process for the project by submitting plans to the city to change the zoning of the site at 120 Academy. It sits at the entrance of UCI Research Park and is near the intersection of the (73) Toll Road and University Drive.
The undeveloped land is currently entitled for additional office use.
“Students want to live near campus. The city’s master plan and the university’s planning policies call for student housing next to campus,” said Irvine Co. spokesman Scott Starkey. “This is a plan that delivers on this shared goal and creates a world-class university experience for future student-residents.”
Nearing Cap
Irvine Co.’s proposal could add 2,800 beds.
UCI has a maximum bed count of 17,637 under a 2007 long-range city development plan; though this figure has been increased slightly due to “the way the projects are building out,” according to a university spokesman.
ÂÂÂIrvine Co.’s campus-adjacent project would not affect that total.
The university is expected to reach its cap by 2022.
Irvine Co., OC’s largest apartment owner, would be the first developer to build this type of off-campus housing designated for students of the university.
The project will offer private studios to four-bedroom configurations all with kitchens and in-unit washer/dryers.
A zone change required for the project to move ahead would also allow for 1,400 parking spots, according to the city. Irvine Co. said it plans to build two on-site garages, and that the complex would be integrated with a variety of transportation services used by UCI students.
Other amenities at the yet to be named student residences include private study spaces, a food market, fitness center, pool and walking and bike paths that connect to the campus.
Lease rates will be similar to on-campus housing.
Irvine Co.’s proposal is under review by city staff. The company expects public hearings to be held in mid-2020, “and the first students could move in by the 2022 school year.”
The “proposal is consistent with the City of Irvine General Plan and supports the UCI Long Range Development Plan objective,” according to an Irvine Co. statement.
50% On-Site
UCI’s long-range development plans aim to provide on-site housing for 50% of students.
Irvine Co. and the university have a history that dates back to 1960, when the 1,000-acre campus was integrated into the Irvine Master Plan.
“By creating student residences adjacent to campus, the project reduces the need for students to rent homes in established residential neighborhoods farther away from campus,” the company said on a website created for the project.
Irvine Co. Chairman Donald Bren and UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman are long-standing members of the Business Journal’s annual OC 50 listing, which is part of this edition (see OC 50, starts page 5).
UCI currently has two on-campus projects under construction that will add 1,941 beds by the end of the year: An expansion of the university’s Middle Earth apartment complex will add 500 beds, while an East Campus expansion called Plaza Verde will add 1,441 beds.
Both are slated to open by September for the start of the 2019/2020 school year.
Two additional projects are currently in the works: Verano Place, a 1,100-bed graduate student apartment complex; and another East Campus phase that would add 1,000 beds. Those two projects are scheduled to be built by fall 2022.
The university’s cap was recently adjusted by several hundred beds to accommodate these new units, which will put the total bed count at about 18,100, an increase of nearly 500 from the original plan.
This is three to four years ahead of schedule, according to the university.
