The University of California Board of Regents approved UC Santa Barbara’s budget plans for San Benito Housing at a Jan. 22 meeting, which is estimated to cost $624.4 million. While they approved the budget unanimously, they expressed concerns over getting construction contracts quickly per the ensuing demand in Los Angeles after fires earlier this month.

UCSB’s proposed San Benito Student housing, for which plans were revealed in February last year, will add approximately 2,250 student beds to the campus. Screenshot of the Jan. 22 UC Regents meeting.
UCSB’s proposed San Benito Student housing, for which plans were revealed in February last year, will add approximately 2,250 student beds to the campus at the site of the former Facilities Management yard in the northwest corner of campus. At their last meeting in November, the Regents approved additional preliminary funding for research and design. The project is slated to begin construction in spring of this year and ready for occupancy in the fall of 2027.
The student housing project is an effort by the campus to meet student housing quotas set out by the UCSB Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) to accommodate an increasing number of admitted students. San Benito is among two projects, alongside the East Campus Housing project announced in November, to add 3,500 beds combined to campus by the fall of 2027. Last year, UCSB was sued by Santa Barbara County for failing to be in compliance with its LRDP housing goals for 2025 and had to payout $3.7 million.
The $624.4 million budget will be drawn from external financing, which will backpay $32 million from campus funding for its preliminary planning. External financing is money that comes outside the University and can include bank loans, stocks and donations, among other sources, but the university’s document did not provide specific details.
“This project is the next step in fulfilling our commitment of constructing an additional 3,500 new beds to meet enrollment growth, identified in our 2010 LRDP,” Chancellor Henry T. Yang said to the UC Board of Regents at its Finance and Committee meeting.
Yang told the Regents the campus currently has 50% of the project’s subcontractor bids, who is contracted to construct the project, in-hand. 92% of the other bids were to be received that afternoon of the meeting, he said.
“We have a concern that the Southern California wildfire may impact [the] construction labor market and we now seek your approval of this project,” Yang said.
The Los Angeles fire’s destruction and demand on the labor market to rebuild pressed impetus on the budget’s approval by the Regents. Approximately 16,000 structures across Los Angeles have been destroyed as a result of the fires, according to Cal Fire.
UCSB Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Chuck Haines answered questions posed by the Regents on behalf of the campus. Yang did not answer any questions.
Regent Hadi Makarechian, who appeared virtually, posed concerns over the subcontractor bids not being in already, and interest of the construction fees not being included in the budget. The Regents finance committee said they would validate that number before their final board vote.
Regent Richard Leib, who also appeared virtually, echoed Makarechian’s concern over the speed of getting contractors.
“What we see here today is a need to get this done as quickly as possible given the disaster that’s happened in Los Angeles and the pent-up demand for housing,” Leib said.
Regents-Designate Sonya Brooks asked Haines how UCSB planned to make space for graduate students.
“A lot of the times when we don’t have housing for graduate students, we’re losing talent,” Brooks said.
Haines said about 963 beds are currently dedicated for graduate students in university housing.
“We will be looking at how we rebalance our housing. Our housing department works very closely with the grad division to make sure students with the most needs are met,” Haines said.
The board voted to approve the budget the next day, Jan. 23, in its final board vote.
Among other housing projects, the UC Regents will present the Ocean Road project at their next meeting in March.
A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the Jan. 30, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.