The university has announced that it will be purchasing for $11.1 million the property currently occupied by Brooks College.
The 5.04-acre property, located about a mile away from the Cal State Long Beach campus at 4825 E. Pacific Coast Highway, will primarily be used to increase the amount of university-run student housing. The university will take over the property in June 2009.
CSULB President F. King Alexander said the property currently houses nearly 300 students from the university in addition to those from Brooks. Alexander said the property was built with space for 900 occupants but that Brooks converted the ground levels of the buildings into offices and classrooms. He said the university will be working to upgrade the buildings and revert some ground floor spaces to student accommodations. Student housing fees will cover the funds for the property.
Alexander said the acquisition of Brooks works well with the transition from a commuter-based campus to a residential campus. Instead of a three- to five-year period for building new residential accommodations on campus, the university will obtain move-in condition housing in two years. In addition, using the Brooks property, which Alexander said is valued at $14 million for the land alone, means the university saves money compared to building a similar project on campus.
“With escalation of costs it would cost us upwards of $70 to $80 million,” he said.
Student housing at Brooks College consists of doubles with attached bathrooms. The rooms are approximately 30 square feet larger than the student rooms on the CSULB campus. Amenities at Brooks include a dining hall, air conditioned rooms and an outdoor swimming pool. Alexander said the university will retain agreements with adjoining areas to maintain control of 350 parking spots.
The Executive Board of the CSULB Foundation approved the purchase after campus representatives completed a 120-day assessment of the Brooks College facilities.
The purchase of Brooks College marks the first addition to CSULB student housing in 21 years.