Student housing, new classrooms, a parking structure, and a boutique hotel are among the more than 1.3 million square feet of new buildings and facilities being considered for the campus of Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.
The new development is being proposed as the 160-acre campus—home to Orange County’s third largest college by student count—prepares for nearly 30% growth in attendance expected between now and 2020.
The proposals are part of a “Vision 2020” strategic plan prepared for the Coast Community College District, which oversees three Orange County community colleges: Coastline Community College in Fountain Valley, Golden West College in Huntington Beach, and Orange Coast College.
A $698 million bond measure was passed in 2012 to fund a portion of upgrades and new construction at the three campuses.
Development plans for Orange Coast College, located next to the Orange County Fairgrounds on Fairview Road, are the largest proposed of the three schools.
The combined campuses total about 320 acres and hold nearly 120 buildings.
The Orange Coast College campus is the oldest of the three, with facilities dating to the late 1940s.
Costa Mesa city officials have begun studying the development proposals for Orange Coast, and a draft environmental impact report was filed with the city last month.
The campus currently holds about 652,000 square feet of building space. About half of that is used for academic purposes.
The school had an enrollment of 21,410 students in 2012; that figure is projected to grow to 28,332 students in 2020. Another 100,000 square feet of academic space is needed to handle Orange Coast’s expected growth, according to the Vision 2020 facilities master plan.
Nearly 167,000 square feet of existing buildings and other facilities would be demolished to make room for development, according to the school’s current plan.
First Phase
An approval would put the first phase of construction on track to be completed between 2015 and 2017, according to the environmental impact report, which was prepared by Dudek, a San Juan Capistrano-based environmental consultancy.
The initial phase includes one project currently under way, a 75,000-square-foot business, math and computing center being built by the Irvine office of Sundt Construction.
The company puts the three-story center’s cost at about $38 million and expects the project—designed by Irvine-based LPA Inc.—to be completed next year.
Other projects on tap for the campus during the first phase of construction are a new or upgraded fitness center, a solar carport system for an existing surface parking lot, and a new 9,300-square-foot planetarium.
Also being considered for construction during that period is a four-level parking structure that could hold 2,000 vehicles. The land for the 708,000-square-foot parking structure is across the street from the school on an existing OC Fair & Event Center surface parking lot at Fairview Road and Arlington Avenue.
A second phase of construction, planned for 2017 to 2019, could include the construction of a nearly 25,000-square-foot administration center, as well as a 72,000-square-foot building that would serve as a student union, bookstore and arts center.
Student Housing
Also being considered for the second phase would be the school’s first student housing project, a nearly 300,000-square-foot apartment complex designed to house about 800 students.
Out-of-district students made up about 42% of Orange Coast’s student body in 1999. By 2012, that figure had risen to 49.3%, according to school data.
The apartment project, planned for the northwest edge of the campus, would be supported by a private development partner, according to the school.
Orange Coast also plans to work with the development community on a proposed 105,000-square-foot mixed-use project at the southeast corner of the campus, across the street from the planned four-story parking structure.
The project would hold retail, restaurants, and other commercial spaces on its ground floor, while a 245-room boutique hotel is envisioned for the upper levels.
“By pursuing joint venture and entrepreneurial opportunities, the (Coast Community College District) could generate revenue and support the academic needs and mission of the campus,” according to the environmental impact report.
A time frame for the mixed-use project moving ahead has not been finalized. Correspondence between city planning officials and the school district this month suggest a general plan amendment would be required before retail, commercial or hospitality development could move ahead on the campus.
