Projects to force relocations

David J. Olender / Photo Editor


In one year, San Diego State students will face a 200,000 square foot space shortage. Next May, Aztec Center, Nasatir Hall and Storm Hall will go offline for renovation and expansion, and thousands of students, faculty and administrators will have to relocate.

Nothing is certain. High-level executives such as Associated Students President James Poet do not yet know where their offices will be located in the interim. With available space at a premium, the university is brainstorming for options, Aztec Center Director Lynn Cacha said.

“We have been working very diligently and closely with the university to try to identify available spaces,” Cacha said. “We are looking at approximately 200,000 square feet of space combined that will be offline.”

A member from the student organization AB Samahan, who wished to remain anonymous, said the administration has no plans for relocation and his student organization would pay the price.

“I’m really worried about Modern Space because AB Samahan has an office in the Aztec Center,” he said. “We do one of our biggest events (there), which is our high school conference, which attracts 1,000 students. Next year, we are really worried that, because it’s going to be closed, where are we going to put a thousand students?”

He said student organizations do not understand the seriousness of the situation and will start to panic two months before Aztec Center closes because of lack of planning.

When told about the student’s concerns, Cacha reiterated that the administration is not sitting on its hands, but instead is robustly searching through every available space on and around campus for possible relocation sites. Cacha also said the No. 1 priority would be to find prime space for the student organizations. Student organizations waiting for answers could potentially be informed in the early spring, Cacha said.

There has been some talk of moving student organizations into trailers, but Cacha said that would only be used as a last resort.

One consequence of the renovation is the massive California Sycamore at the heart of Aztec Center will have to be cut down and removed. Cacha said the administration has looked into options to save the 40-year-old tree, but to no avail. Replanting the tree would involve a two-year process to remove the giant root system without damaging it. Cacha also said she has learned it would be a very expensive process.

A.S. Green Commissioner Erica Johnson said she is looking into the matter and A.S. is very aware of the tree’s importance.

“The tree in Aztec Center is the central focus point of the current student union and has great sentimental value to SDSU,” Johnson said. “Associated Students is most aware of the emotional attachment to the tree and the organization plans to preserve its memory.”

The administration’s search for space has left no stone unturned, Cacha said. Everything has been considered, including vacant fraternity houses, resident halls, Alvarado Medical Center, community centers and local hotels.

In the case of Storm and Nasatir Halls, Cacha said space for classes and faculty will receive first priority. Any possible relocation of Aztec Center franchises such as Starbucks, Steak Escape and Louie’s Suds & Sun Pub, is the responsibility of Aztec Shops, Cacha said.

R.D. Williams, director of Campus Relations and Commercial Development for Aztec Shops, said that when considering which retail stores will receive priority for relocation, Aztec Shops will consider “whether the activity is critical to the mission of the university.”

Modern Space will bring in more student services, as well as more revenue for A.S. However, Cacha said the process is expected to be a tough transition.
“We don’t have this infinite supply of space that we can have the luxury of picking and choosing what we want,” Cacha said. “It’s like having all these puzzle pieces and figuring out how they are all going to fit.”