July 14, 2015

Tropicana to be Integrated into University Student Housing

UC Santa Barbara Staff

As a part of its ongoing efforts to play a larger role in student life in Isla Vista, and to improve the living experience for a large number of UC Santa Barbara students and the surrounding community, the University has purchased the Tropicana student housing portfolio in the neighboring community of Isla Vista.

The portfolio, composed of three properties currently known as Tropicana Gardens, Tropicana Del Norte, and the Tropicana Villas, already houses a large number of UC Santa Barbara students. The long-term goal is to integrate these properties into the University’s academic and social programming. The Tropicana portfolio is 200,000 square feet of space currently providing housing for approximately 1,050 students.

The University, working closely with neighbors and members of the local community as well as students and trustees, has been asked to invest more in Isla Vista and play a more active role in the community. This arrangement, which will provide additional University housing for students, is a demonstration of the University’s commitment to improving the quality of life in Isla Vista. In the past year, the University has also contributed funds to support other infrastructure improvements such as street lighting and fencing along the bluffs. These resources are in addition to the University’s $2 million fund to support services and improvement projects in Isla Vista contained in its Long Range Development Plan that was negotiated with the County of Santa Barbara and the City of Goleta in 2010 and the more than $2 million the University contributes for public safety services in Isla Vista.

“This was a unique opportunity for the University to make a significant impact and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the community,” said John Longbrake, Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications. “We look forward to working with the County, local officials, students and residents to continue to strengthen the connections between the campus and Isla Vista.”

Student housing at UC Santa Barbara is a self-funded auxiliary enterprise and receives no state funds for its operations.

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The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.