Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Housing Grant Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Student housing update: 11 projects active, funding and statutory limits under review
Summary
The governor continues to provide debt-service support for previously approved student housing projects; two community colleges withdrew applications and the administration said additional statute changes would be required to reassign funds to other projects.
The subcommittee received an update on the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program and on the administration's lease revenue bond structure that replaced the previous approach for supporting selected community college housing projects.
Alexandria (Alex) Waldman and Alex Velasquez of the Department of Finance outlined the status: of 13 originally eligible projects, 11 remain active, four are under construction, five are expected to begin construction in the budget year, and two are scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2026-27. The governor's budget continues debt-service support for previously approved UC, CSU and community college projects and includes $1,300,000 General Fund for community college completed projects in 2025-26; Finance said it planned to correct an apparent $2.5 million estimate oversight at the May Revision.
Committee members asked about two withdrawn applications: College of the Canyons and San Diego City College. Finance said College of the Canyons withdrew because of a leadership change and the administration had not received formal notice from San Diego City College. Members sought clarity on whether returned or unused state funds could be reallocated to other high-ranked, shovel-ready projects; Finance said reallocating beyond the 13 authorized projects would require statutory changes.
Chancellor's Office witnesses said approximately 35 additional unfunded applications had been received earlier, reflecting unmet statewide demand and a multi-billion-dollar estimated need for student housing. Speakers urged timely decisions because construction costs and market conditions can increase with delay. The subcommittee left the issue open and requested legal clarification and possible statutory changes if the Legislature wishes to reassign funds to projects beyond the original 13.
