Construction Underway on New Housing, Dining Facility for CSU San Marcos

Construction on the new University Village Housing and Dining (UHVD) facility at Cal State University San Marcos in San Marcos, Calif., recently hit a milestone, according to a news release. Project builder McCarthy Building Companies recently announced the concrete start and tower crane arrival for the 140,661-square-foot facility, which is scheduled for completion in summer 2026. The facility will offer housing space for 550 additional students, as well as a 10,888-square-foot dining hall.

“McCarthy is thrilled to announce the successful erection of our tower crane for the CSU San Marcos student housing project, marking a significant milestone in our construction journey with CSUSM and Gensler,” said David Alford, Vice President Operations at McCarthy Building Cos. “This achievement continues to energize our teams' passion for transforming dreams into reality, bringing us one step closer to delivering exceptional, affordable living spaces for CSUSM students.”

The university received $91 million in funding from the California Legislature and state governor from the 2022–23 state budget. The project’s ultimate goal is to improve housing access and equity for “underserved, low-income students.” The school currently enrolls about 16,000 total students, 2,000 of whom live on campus.

The university also partnered with architecture firm Gensler for the project.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Chicago District Completes Construction on New Elementary School

    North Chicago School District 187 in North Chicago, Ill., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Forrestal Elementary School, according to a news release. The new school marks a major investment in military-connected students and families at Naval Station Great Lakes.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.