Assemblyman Phil Ting and other university officials discussed SF State’s newest housing project at West Campus Green and the importance of affordable student housing.
“We [the State Assembly] know that housing is absolutely critical,” Ting said. “Such as critical for our students, it’s critical for our workforce, it’s critical for all faculty and the staff here. This is not just an issue for this university, it’s an issue for the entire system.”
The West Campus Green Project will have 750 units and is expected to open its doors to students next fall. The university received $116.3 million from the state, which will cover 65% of the total cost of the project. SF State will pay the remaining $63 million through the California State University Systemwide Revenue Bond.
This semester, SF State has an on-campus population of 4,107 students and the waitlist for on-campus housing last year was 1,100.
West Campus Green will also have a student health center, office spaces, a dining hall, as well as meeting and studying spaces.
Assemblyman Phil Ting (left) and SF State President Lynn Mahoney (right) speak at the West Campus Green event on Oct. 14, 2022. (Oscar Palma / Golden Gate Xpress) (Oscar Palma)
“This is historic for San Francisco State; our tuition is affordable, housing is not,” said SF State’s President Lynn Mahoney. “If we want to keep California State University education and San Francisco State education affordable, we have to build student housing, and we have to build it with state support so that we can charge less.”
In addition to West Campus Green, the officials also said they received $2.5 million for the Cross Cultural Center project on the second floor of the Student Service Building.
This project’s focus is to create a space for diversity and will be home to the Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Center, the Black Unity Center, the Latinx Student Center, Dream Resource Center, Office of Diversity, Student Equity and Interfaith Programs, LGBTQ+ Student Life, Jewish Student Life and Muslim Student Life.
“Here, these individuals will have their own spaces that they have now, but they will have the added benefit of being a close community with each other in the Equity & Community Inclusion Cross Cultural Center space,” said Associate Vice President of Equity and Community Inclusion Frederick Smith. “I can tell you that these types of spaces foster success.”
Ting and the faculty presented at least two designs of what West Campus Green will look like.
According to Associated Students President Karina Zamora, the housing project will be extremely important for the student population at SF State.
“I cannot stress enough how important the funding for affordable student housing projects are,” Zamora said. “As someone who has struggled with housing my entire time here, it’s so nice to know that our students will no longer have to worry about finding a place to sleep.”
West Campus Green housing will be located between the Humanities Building, soccer fields and the Village at Centennial Square.
A map of SF State’s campus, with a pin showing West Campus Green, the new, affordable student housing, will be built. (Illustration by Myron Caringal / Golden Gate Xpress. Photo courtesy of the Office of Assemblyman Phil Ting)
Oscar Palma is the Spanish editor for Golden Gate Xpress; some of his interests are bicycles, vinyls, film, dive bars, Latin American literature and punk shows. He is interested in covering cycling, environment and underground shows, some of his work has previously appeared at El Tecolote and The Frisc.
Myron Caringal (he/they) is the engagement editor for Golden Gate Xpress and Xpress Magazine. He is a transfer student at SF State majoring in journalism and minoring in critical social thought. Myron is originally from Orange County, California, and currently resides in San Francisco. He previously served as diversity editor and then as managing editor for GGX. Myron hopes to transition into the digital engagement side of the media industry as a current intern for KQED's Audience Development team. During his free time, Myron enjoys traveling, trying new foods, attending music festivals and binge-watching series.
