Following the successful opening of Sierra Madre Villages in 2015 and San Joaquin Villages in 2017, Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises, alongside campus stakeholders, is embarking on a two-phase student housing development that will provide 3,500 new undergraduate student beds on the UC Santa Barbara main campus. Both the Phase One and Phase Two project planning are underway concurrently, with each phase considering the requirements of the 2010 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). These development projects will address the campus’s critical housing needs and create a vibrant, inclusive, and safe community for students to call home for years to come.
San Benito (Phase One)
Located at the former Facilities Management site, San Benito will provide campus with 2,224 new undergraduate student beds in apartment configurations including 4-bedroom units, 2-bedroom units, and studio apartments. Arranged as a series of towers with central common areas, this project will feature a retail dining market and additional amenities driven by student outreach sessions. Construction will start in 2025 to meet a planned opening of Fall 2027.
East Campus (Phase Two)
Imagined as an infill and redevelopment effort on the east side of UCSB main campus, Phase Two will add 1,272 new beds and 412 replacement beds within the existing community of five residence halls, commonly called the Channel Islands Five. Planning for Phase Two started in Spring 2024, with student outreach workshops in May and evaluations of the existing buildings. The project was approved by the UC Regents in November 2025 and the California Coastal Commission in May 2026, and will begin construction in June 2026 with a Fall 2028 opening date. To manage costs and keep the overall project on schedule, the renovation of the Ortega Dining Commons facility (home to Takeout and Campus Catering) has been paused. Both Campus Catering and Takeout at Ortega will continue to operate as they are currently, and future improvements remain part of the long-term plan.