Planning for Growth

After careful survey of every inch of university-owned land suitable for new faculty, staff, and student housing, a UCSB planning committee last week approved a comprehensive housing plan that includes a 536-unit complex of apartments, lofts, and townhouses on Ocean Road. The plan is to convert four-lane Ocean Road into two lanes and build on top of the land west toward the eucalyptus tree line that separates Isla Vista from the campus.

The project also would involve tearing out the Pardall Road tunnel and opening up new bikeways for students traveling from Isla Vista onto campus. Planning Director Tye Simpson emphasized the plans are conceptual and that construction is years away. Campus officials estimate the student population will eventually increase over the next decade from 20,000 to 25,000.