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Planning, Design and Construction

Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) & Other CEQA Documents

Evolve Student Housing Project

Updated 09/06/2024

San Diego State University (SDSU) proposes the development of two new housing complexes on and adjacent to the main SDSU campus to provide additional student housing, dining, and auxiliary uses. There are two components to the Proposed Project, the Peninsula Component located adjacent to the main SDSU campus at the northern terminus of 55th Street, and the University Towers East Component located south of Montezuma Road, east and immediately adjacent to the existing University Towers building on the main SDSU campus. Development of the Peninsula Component would include the phased development of one (1) 9-story and five (5) up to 13-story student housing buildings that would contain a total of approximately 4,500 student beds. The proposed University Towers East Component would include a new 9-story student-housing building that would accommodate approximately 720 beds. In total, development of the Proposed Project would result in 5,220 student beds (a net increase of approximately 4,500 new student beds) to the main campus inventory.
 

For further details about the proposed project, please see the CEQA Notice of Preparation and Initial Study linked below:

Public Information/Scoping Meetings:

SDSU will hold public information/scoping meetings to discuss the Proposed Project in order to obtain information regarding the content and scope of the Draft EIR.
 

Past Public Meetings:

 

Fenton Parkway Bridge Project

Updated 09/10/2024

San Diego State University (SDSU) proposes to construct the Fenton Parkway Bridge Project to connect Fenton Parkway with Camino Del Rio North in the City of San Diego. The Fenton Parkway Bridge would span the San Diego River in the Mission Valley Community of the City. The project would involve construction of an approximately 450-foot bridge spanning the San Diego River from north to south. The bridge would consist of up to four spans and include combined bicycle and pedestrian pathways. The project would create a vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian connection across the San Diego River that, upon completion, would be operated, owned and maintained by the City as part of the City’s public street system.

 

Brawley Sciences Building

Updated 10/16/2023

San Diego State University proposes to build a new standalone laboratory/lecture building at our campus in Brawley, California. Program includes a new STEM facility, including teaching and research spaces, faculty/administrative offices, conference rooms, mechanical and telecom support spaces.

Draft CEQA documents were prepared for the project and circulated for public review (see items 1-4 below). Following close of the public comment period, written responses to comments were drafted and the Final Mitigated Negative Declaration/Initial Study (MND/IS) was prepared.  The Final MND/IS is provided below as document number 5 and includes: the Final MND, Comments and Responses to Comments, revised Initial Study pages, revised Appendices pages, and the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program.

  1. Brawley Sciences Building - Notice of Intent to Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration (195 KB)
  2. Brawley Sciences Building - Mitigated Negative Declaration and Initial Study (6.2 MB)
  3. Brawley Sciences Building - Technical Appendices to Initial Study (42.1 MB)
  4. 2003 Brawley Campus Master Plan EIR (132.8 MB)
  5. Brawley Sciences Building Project Final MND-IS (October 2023) (6.1 MB)
  6. Brawley Sciences Building - Notice of Determination (510 KB) 

 

Don Powell Renovation Categorical Exemption (November 2020)

Updated 11/24/2020

San Diego State University (SDSU) proposes to renovate the Don Powell Theater to improve access for people with disabilities. The proposed renovation has been analyzed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has been found to be exempt from further environmental review based on the Section 15301, Class 1: Existing Facilities exemption. The notice of exemption can be found at the link below:

Notice of Exemption

Second Stage and Amenities Building - Categorical Exemption (November 2020)

Updated 11/24/2020

San Diego State University (SDSU) proposes to construct a 15,600 gross square foot (GSF) flexible use performance arts theater (the Second Stage Theater) and an adjacent 2,100 GSF structure (the Amenities Building), which would contain a box office, concessions, offices and restroom facilities. The project would be developed on a site designated in the previously approved 2007 Master Plan for a 40,000 GSF performing arts center, which was previously analyzed at a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) program level of review in the 2007 Master Plan EIR.

As presently proposed, the Second Stage Theater and Amenities Building have undergone subsequent environmental review under CEQA and the proposed project has been found to be exempt from further environmental review based on the Section 15332, Class 32: Infill Development exemption. The project is smaller than and, thus, consistent with what was proposed in the 2007 Master Plan, and will not result in any additional or different significant impacts beyond those previously disclosed in the 2007 EIR. A minor master plan revision was approved and will be incorporated into the campus master plan as part of the annual update that occurs during the annual 2020-2021 Capital Outlay Program and Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan.

For further details about the proposed project, please see the CEQA Notice of Exemption and Additional Documentation Prepared in Support of the Notice of Exemption linked below.

CEQA Notice of Exemption

Additional Documentation in Support of the Notice of Exemption

 

Mission Valley Final EIR

Please see the SDSU Mission Valley website for information on this FEIR.

 

Aztec Recreation Center Expansion - Categorical Exemption (2019)

Updated 04/19/2019

San Diego State University (SDSU) proposes to renovate and expand the existing Aztec Recreation Center (ARC). The existing ARC is 74,000 gross square feet (GSF) in size and the proposed project would expand the ARC facility by approximately 68,000 GSF; no increase in student population is proposed. The purpose of the proposed project is to improve and expand recreation and fitness facilities for SDSU students staff and faculty.

The proposed project has been analyzed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has been found to be exempt from further analysis based on the following exemptions:

(1) Class 32 Categorical Exemption - In-Fill Development Projects; (2) the "Common Sense" Exemption; and (3) Class 2 Categorical Exemption - Replacement or Reconstruction.

For further details about the proposed project, please see the Memorandum in Support of Notice of Exemption linked below.

The proposed project will be considered for approval by the Board of Trustees of California State University at its meeting to be held on May 21-22 in Long Beach, California.

Memorandum in Support of Notice of Exemption

Combined Appendices

 

2007 Campus Master Plan Revision and 2018 DAA/FAA

On Friday, October 12, the San Diego Superior Court ruled in favor of SDSU’s motion to discharge the peremptory writ of mandate issued as a result of rulings by the California Supreme Court and Court of Appeal that had suspended SDSU’s Master Plan. The ruling cleared the way for SDSU to move forward with implementation of the 2007 Campus Master Plan.

Board of Trustees Approval

At its May 15-16, 2018 meeting, the CSU Board of Trustees re-approved the 2007 Campus Master Plan Revision and recertified of the corresponding FEIR, as amended by the FAA.

Board of Trustees Resolution

2018 DAA/FAA

In 2007, the CSU Board of Trustees approved the SDSU 2007 Campus Master Plan (CMP), which authorized:

  • An enrollment increase of 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) students over the next 15-20 years from 25,000 to 35,000; and,
  • The near-term and future development of six project components including Adobe Falls Faculty/Staff Housing, Alvarado Campus, Alvarado Hotel, Campus Conference Center, Student Housing and the Student Union/Aztec Center Expansion and Renovation.

Following the Trustees’ approval, the City of San Diego, SANDAG/MTS, and the Del Cerro Action Council each filed a lawsuit challenging the 2007 CMP EIR.

The lawsuits raised multiple issues, and the litigation proceeded from Superior Court, to the Court of Appeal, to the California Supreme Court. Ultimately, the courts dismissed most of the claims, finding that the EIR was adequate in most respects, with the following three limited exceptions:

  1. Contingent Mitigation Payment Inadequate. The courts found that the EIR’s traffic mitigation measures, which required payments to the City of San Diego for certain road improvements, were inadequate. The reason they were found inadequate was because the payment of monies to the City was made contingent upon Legislative appropriation; that is, CSU/SDSU was only required to pay the money if the Legislature specifically appropriated the funds;
  2. Transit Analysis Inadequate. The courts found that the EIR’s analysis of transit-related impacts was inadequate, since the EIR did not properly analyze the potential impacts the additional 10,000 students would have on the bus and trolley system; and
  3. Transportation Demand Management Mitigation Inadequate. Lastly, the courts found that the EIR’s mitigation measure requiring SDSU to prepare a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan was inadequate because it improperly deferred preparation of the plan.

SDSU prepared the 2018 Draft Additional Analysis (DAA) to address those portions of the 2007 EIR found inadequate by the courts. It includes revised traffic mitigation measures that require SDSU to implement recommended road improvements, where applicable. The DAA also includes a quantitative analysis of the project’s impacts on the trolley and bus system, and a mitigation measure requiring that SDSU implement a TDM program that includes a TDM coordinator, increased rideshare opportunities, facilities to increase bicycle and pedestrian travel, and incentives to ride transit.

FINAL ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS

The FAA contains responses to all comments on the DAA submitted during public review period, as well as revisions to the DAA and supplemental materials provided in response to the comments.

Linked below is a copy of the FAA and two related documents - The Final EIR Revised Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program and the CEQA Findings/Statement of Overriding Considerations.

The first link provided is to the FAA Table of Contents, which provides an overview of the materials included in the FAA. Following the Table of Contents, the introduction provides a more detailed overview of the FAA contents. The introduction is followed by the Responses to Comments section, which includes: (1) An alphabetical index of the comment letters received on the DAA, including the assigned alpha numeric identification; (2) copies of all comment letters received, with each individual comment bracketed and numbered; and (3) a Responses to Comments table that includes the full text of all comments and SDSU's corresponding responses to each comment. The Responses to Comments table is followed by two Topical Responses - one provides an analysis of the project modification to eliminate the Alvarado Hotel in order to further reduce vehicle trips and traffic impacts, and the other provides a summary of the meetings SDSU has held with public agencies regarding the DAA since October 2017.

Following the Responses to Comments section, the Revisions to the Draft Additional Analysis section includes all pages of the DAA that have been revised in response to comments, with deleted text shown in strike through format and new text shown with a double underline.

Two Appendices also are included. Appendix Z contains materials relating to the notice that was provided for the DAA, including affidavit of publication in the San Diego Union Tribune, a letter from the San Diego County Clerk regarding posting, and the NOA mailing distribution list.

Appendix AA contains transportation analysis related materials, including revisions to the Transportation Impact Analysis published in January 2018 (revised pages only), and additional transportation impact analysis appendices. Appendix AA also contains supplemental materials provided in response to comments received on the DAA.

The following are the links to the Final Additional Analysis and Related Materials

DRAFT ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS MATERIALS (January 2018)

SDSU 2007 Campus Master Plan Final EIR (2007)

New Student Housing EIR (2017)

The new freshman residence hall will provide on-campus housing for 850 students – modified from the originally proposed residence hall complex that would have provided housing for approximately 2,600 students. The New Student Housing EIR was approved by the Board of Trustees in September 2017 and is currently under construction on the west side of campus east of the existing Chapultepec Hall (near the athletic fields and the Rec Center).

Tula Pavilion & Tenochca Hall Notice of Exemption (2017)

This project replaces outdated social/community space for Tenochca Tower, and improves security by relocating separate embedded conference functions to an adjacent site. The project also adds and improves access to outdoor amenities shared by east campus residents.

Engineering & Interdisciplinary Sciences Mitigated Negative Declaration (2015)

The new five story, 95,000 GSF instructional building on the main campus of SDSU will provide state of the art teaching and research facilities. The project involves the demolition of two existing aging buildings of approximately 47,000 GSF total. The new building will include a landscaped quadrangle and a connection to the existing Engineering Building on two levels.

Plaza Linda Verde Final EIR (2011)

The vision for Plaza Linda Verde is to create a dynamic gateway between the campus and community with tree-lined streets, student housing, outdoor dining and gathering spaces to provide an attractive and exciting environment for the community-at-large. The CSU Board of Trustees approved the EIR in May of 2011. Construction of the first phase of Plaza Linda Verde (Building 1 and 2) was completed in January 2017. The project was renamed South Campus Plaza.

SDSU Campus Master Plan 2000

UPDATED 08/10/2020

The 2000 Campus Master Plan was intended to improve, enhance and rehabilitate facilities on the SDSU Campus. The plan propsed the redevelopment of several classroom, office, research and student facilities and the development of several new buildings including several academic/research buildings/additions, a performing arts complex, a physical plant facility and coporate/maintenance yard, a campus childcare center, an international student center addition and a central park. The plan accommodated an enrollment growth of 25,000 FTE. The Final EIR was certified by the board of trustees in November of 2000.

Final EIR SDSU Campus Master Plan 2000