San Mateo County Community College District officials explore adding student housing

Trustees showed some interest in the concept, but requested more information regarding the size and cost of the initiative before feeling sufficiently confident to move forward.

“I definitely believe the board is nowhere near where we need to be,” said Trustee Maurice Goodman, regarding the board’s readiness to make a decision on the proposal.

Trustee Dave Mandelkern shared a similar perspective.

“This is the start of a conversation and we’ve got some more questions to answer and some more discussions to have before we reach the go or no go decision,” he said.

Administrators agreed, noting the proposal is still in its early phases of development and the presentation by a consulting group during the meeting was only intended to yield further exploration.

There are myriad issues that need to be assessed, acknowledged Chancellor Michael Claire, who focused the initial discussion on the demand for student housing and potential financing strategies.

An initial concept from Scion Group consulting agency called for roughly 1,000 units to be built on the College of San Mateo campus. The project, which could be completed in 2025, could cost as much at $500 million if the district participates in a public-private partnership to build and operate the facility.

“It’s going to be expensive,” said Vice Chancellor Mitch Bailey.

An initial survey from the consultant showed most of the district students would be interested in some housing at district campuses, specifically if it was priced affordably.

Students in the survey cited the cost of living as a primary challenge to overcome while enrolled in classes, as well as difficulties with reaching school sites due to transportation hurdles.

Noting the district’s unfamiliarity with the concept of student housing, officials questioned the wisdom of building such a sizable development.

“That is jumping right into the deep end of the pool,” said Mandelkern, who wondered whether it might be more pragmatic to start smaller — if the district ultimately pursues the initiative. Board President Karen Schwarz shared a similar perspective.

Consultants acknowledged the concerns raised regarding the size of the proposal, while noting the ability to offer some of the units at an affordable rate is easier to finance with a greater economy of scale.

Officials also agreed consensus should form around which students the district is looking to accommodate, noting the divergent interests of those who are merely intrigued by living on campus and those facing housing instability.

To that end, officials said they should work simultaneously on gathering more details regarding the opportunity to build student housing while also assessing the urgent needs of students requiring immediate assistance.

In the hunt for more information, Trustee Thomas Nuris suggested future discussions on the issue include the experience of other similar community college districts which have successfully developed and operated student housing.

“I need to see some real life examples of college that have been doing this and what they have to say,” he said.

Claire agreed such a substantial proposal required much more deliberation, and looked forward to additional conversations on the issue down the road.

“This is really the first step of getting this conversation started in a serious way,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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