Construction has officially begun for the new student housing complex at Fresno State.
University and student leaders gathered in P27 on Dec. 6 outfitted in red hard hats to commence construction.
This is the first student housing project the university has introduced in over 50 years, the last one being in 1968.
The building will be 80,000 square feet, four stories tall and feature 1-4 bedroom units. It will also include “a limited number of apartments for students with children.”
The apartments for students with children will have special amenities such as two bedrooms with a kitchen and living room, child- friendly flooring, and furniture and family gathering areas including an outdoor play structure.
Each of the four floors will also have an on-site laundry facility.
The company handling the design is SVA Architects, Inc.
The schematics for the building were approved in July 2023 by the California State University Board of Trustees and the funding was secured and approved this November.
“The project is being funded by an affordable student housing grant from the state ($33.7 million) and $20 million of financing funded through California State University systemwide revenue bonds that will be the responsibility of the California State University, Fresno Association, Inc. (Student Housing) to repay over the life of the bonds,” said Lisa Bell, public information officer at Fresno State in a Fresno State News media release.
However, Nicole Lane, executive director of Auxiliary Services, said student fees will not be used to cover these costs.
“The systemwide revenue bonds will be the financial responsibility of the Association (auxiliary),” Lane said. “Revenues generated from the new building, as well as revenues generated from the existing housing portfolio, will go toward covering this expense.”
In terms of the cost offor living in the building, that will vary based on the room.
“Our current rent projections for the affordable units will range from $6,597 to $8,798 for the academic year,” Lane said. “This is based on Area Median Income (AMI) metric used to determine housing affordability. The estimated rent is subject to change.”
The new building is expected to be fully constructed by Summer 2026, with the plan to begin housing students in Fall 2026, Bell said.
The structure is being built in P27 and will eliminate 200 of the existing 7,310 student parking spaces, according to Lane.
“Given P27 transitioned to a resident- only lot this Fall, after the project is completed, it’s projected there will be adequate parking for our residents,” Lane said.
The groundbreaking ceremony included speeches from Associated Students, Inc. President Faith Van Hoven, President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, Debbie Adishian Astone, chief financial officer and vice president for administration, Arshpreet Kaur, president of the Residence Hall Association and Councilmember Tyler Maxwell.
The ceremony concluded with special invited guests putting on a red hard hat and digging the first mound of dirt to symbolize the commencement of construction.
