Construction on new Cal Poly dorms to begin this week | San Luis Obispo Tribune

Construction on the Cal Poly Student Housing South dormitory project is expected to begin this week.

The $198 million project, which replaces the parking lot at the corner of Slack Street and Grand Avenue, is scheduled for completion in July 2018.

The new 12-acre campus will provide 1,475 beds in 696 rooms and will bring Cal Poly’s total number of beds to 8,000, housing a total of about 40 percent of its student body.

The university’s Grand Avenue entrance will remain open through spring quarter 2016, but will close periodically during the summer of 2016.

“Cal Poly’s long-term plans include having capacity in university housing to accommodate about 65 percent of all undergraduate students,” the university said in a statement. “Several thousand additional beds will need to be built in order to reach this goal.”

The university is currently undertaking a Master Plan Update process that will guide new development, including student housing on campus, for the next two decades.

Cal Poly officials say a recent market study revealed a demand for 10,000 beds to serve its current student body of 20,500 students.

“Cal Poly is focused on providing the foundation for student success,” university officials said. “Research has shown that students who live on campus their first two years stay in school and graduate at a higher rate.”