San Diego State University said Wednesday it will build a 250-unit senior living community at its fast-growing Mission Valley campus and that 26 of the residences will be designed for people who need memory care.
The school is partnering with Merrill Gardens, PMB and Pillar Properties on the project, which will begin construction in late 2027 and be completed by 2030.
The 295,000-square-foot, seven-story complex will be situated along Jacaranda Street and Innovation Parkway and will be comprised of mostly independent and assisted living residences, along with a restaurant and bistro, fitness center, pool and rooftop deck.
School officials say there are plans for the university to partner with the community’s operator to provide internships and jobs for students, as well as to give senior residents access to continuing learning opportunities, such as with SDSU’s Center for Excellence in Aging and Longevity.
The project will go to the California State University governing Board of Trustees for approval. It is not far from where the university is already building 747 units of housing. SDSU says it also expects to partner with the San Diego Community College District in creating a five-story, joint-use STEM education center in Mission Valley.
“The vision for this project is rooted in SDSU’s commitment to service our intergenerational SDSU community,” Adela de la Torre, the school’s president, said in a statement.
The new senior living center represents the broad interests of SDSU, which says it will begin the fall semester on Aug. 24 with more than 43,000 students. De la Torre told the Union-Tribune Wednesday that, in the years ahead, SDSU will “blow past” its goal of pushing enrollment above 50,000.