Construction is underway on a major student housing collaboration between Cabrillo College and the University of California Santa Cruz. The two institutions have officially broken ground on Costa Vista, a 624-bed development designed to address the growing housing insecurity affecting students in Santa Cruz County.
The joint project is being built on Cabrillo College’s Aptos campus, adjacent to the school’s softball fields. Spanning approximately 257,000 square feet, Costa Vista will consist of three residential buildings and include dedicated childcare space for families with young children.
Local college leaders say the development directly responds to alarming housing instability among students in the region. A survey from the Community College League of California identified widespread insecurity in Cabrillo’s service area.
Cabrillo College Student Trustee Grace Goodhue highlighted the findings: about 54% of students in the region face housing insecurity, and roughly 25% said they had experienced homelessness in the past year.
“Having stable, affordable housing will allow Cabrillo and UCSC students to focus on their schoolwork and succeed in their educational and career goals,” she said.
Costa Vista’s 624 beds will be split between the two institutions:
The partnership is one of the first of its kind in California, as a community college and a UC campus co-develop student housing to meet regional needs.
In addition to residential space, the development will feature a childcare center designed to accommodate 50 to 64 infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children between 6 months and 3 years old. This addition reflects the growing number of student parents enrolled at both institutions.
By locating the project directly on the Cabrillo campus, both schools aim to reduce student commuting challenges, stabilize enrollment, and improve academic retention. The development intends to provide below-market housing options in a county where rental rates are among the highest in the nation.
Local officials and campus administrators see the project as a model for addressing student homelessness through multi-institutional collaboration.
With construction now in motion, Costa Vista marks a significant step toward easing the financial and housing pressures that have long affected students across the Central Coast.
Originally reported by Mike Kennedy in American School & University.
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