Amid threats of litigation and increasing public pressure over its acute housing shortage, UCSB has resurrected plans for a massive, 11-story dormitory on the northwest edge of campus that would accommodate up to 4,536 undergraduate students.
The structure ― to be named the Munger Residence Hall after its designer and financier, investor-billionaire Charlie Munger ― would replace an existing complex of maintenance facilities at the corner of Mesa and Stadium roads and provide a whopping 1.68 million square feet of work-live space, including single-occupancy bedrooms, communal “great rooms,” and a number of amenities. No parking for the building is planned, but more than 3,000 spaces for bicycles would be provided.
A public review of the proposal is scheduled for later this month. For final approval, it must get the green light from the County of Santa Barbara, the University of California Regents, and the California Coastal Commission. If all goes smoothly ― an unlikely scenario given the scope of the undertaking ― the soonest the residence hall would be open for occupancy is fall 2025.
