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

  • North Carolina District Completes New Elementary School

    The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Holly Springs, N.C., recently announced that construction on a new elementary school has finished, according to a news release. Rex Road Elementary School measures in at 133,000 square feet and is the fifteenth school that general contractor Balfour Beatty has completed for the district.

  • Houston K–12 District Opens New Elementary School

    The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) recently announced the completion of a new elementary school in a western suburb of Houston, Texas, according to a news release. Haygood Elementary School measures in at 110,000 square feet, has the capacity for 854 students, and is the first of three new schools scheduled to be built in the Cross Creek West community.

  • classroom with crystal ball on top of a desk

    Call for Opinions: Spaces4Learning 2026 Predictions for Educational Facilities

    As 2025 winds to a close, the Spaces4Learning staff is asking its readers—school administrators, architects, engineers, facilities managers, builders, superintendents, designers, vendors, and more—to send us their predictions for educational facilities in 2026.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

Digital Edition