Chula Vista residents wondering what happened to talk of building a four-year university can rest assured the city is making progress.
Last Thursday at a stakeholder briefing, the mayor, city staff and three consultant teams met to discuss updates on analysis conducted for the future university park and research center in Chula Vista. The university will benefit residents throughout the South Bay and provide better access to higher education and expand economic development within the region.
The university is slated to sit on an estimated 370 acres of land adjacent to Otay Lakes and is scheduled for completion in the next 30 years. City staff is currently working to develop partnerships and get the land under city ownership.
City staff analyzed criteria related to project targeting, selecting and recruiting as well as providing empirical research for conditions of the university.
“Now we’ve got the data to support what we’ve believed for years,” Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox said. “There is a need in Chula Vista for this, a four-year college or university,” she said.
By next fall staff expect to conclude negotiations with land owners and begin outreach with the community.
Economic development manager for the city of Chula Vista Denny Stone said it’s too early to nail down a total cost for the institution but they are looking at conceptual models.
“We’re looking at how to find the combination of different uses on campus to develop structure,” Stone said.
“The main thing is as we’re acquiring the land, we’re also moving forward with collecting data through studies and developing the public planning and strategic process,” said Stone.
Julie Cramer, a research associate for the Center for Education Policy and Law at University of San Diego, looked at the demographics of the South Bay to determine if there is an actual need for the university.
Cramer found that college students range in age from 18 to 29 and represent nearly 19 percent of the population in the South Bay.
According to Cramer’s findings, 65 percent of 19-year-olds enroll in secondary education, while 93 percent of that group stayed in San Diego County after graduating.
Cox said the City Council will place an item on the agenda to discuss university plans within the next three to four months.
