College Area could get crammed

A lot goes into determining how much housing a community is going to need. Birth rates, migration, existing housing shortages and efforts to prioritize walkable development all play a role. But, some parts of San Diego have something else to consider: incoming freshmen.

The city of San Diego is nearly ready to approve a new College Area community plan. That will outline how the area will grow and what amenities it’ll need to accommodate those changes. They haven’t updated this plan since 1989, and if you haven’t noticed, things are a little different since the late eighties.

For one, San Diego State University’s enrollment is the highest it’s ever been.

Almost a decade ago, fall enrollment accounted for nearly 7,000 fewer students than today. And California State University system requires each of its schools to grow their enrollment by 1% each year. This year San Diego State University grew by 4.5% — I guess there are some overachievers over there.

Our intern, Calista Stocker (who happens to be one of the 40,000 students on SDSU’s campus) breaks down how this growth doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. She dug into the proposed community plan and found that in 30 years time, it anticipates a need for an over 300% increase in homes.

Hang on a minute: Did you see that San Diego FC advanced to the Western Conference finals last night, and are now just one win from an MLS Cup appearance? Not bad for an expansion club.

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