Regents approve 1,134‑bed UCLA student housing tower after debate over cost and livability

UCLA presenters asked the finance committee to approve the 901 Levering undergraduate housing project, a 19‑story infill tower that will replace five seismically deficient residential structures and add 1,134 beds in mostly four‑bed, eight‑student apartments. The committee approved the full project budget of $351,000,000 and the proposed $280,876,000 of external financing.

"We're in the business of providing them a home and the support that a home brings to the students," the project presenter said, explaining the campus's housing philosophy and the project's included student support and social spaces.

Ayesha, identified to the committee as the student observer, told Regents the project "represents an extremely important and necessary investment in expanding undergraduate housing capacity," welcomed the affordability aim and asked the committee to define affordability against students' real ability to pay rather than only the private market.

Several Regents challenged the project's unit design and cost. Regent Macareeshin criticized the plan to place eight students with two bathrooms in the same unit and faulted the design for having effectively one fixture unit in some units: "You put 8 people to 1 bathroom," the Regent said, pressing campus staff to reexamine floor‑plan details and to make simple construction changes — for example, pocket doors on alternating floors or minor layout adjustments — before finalizing documents.

Campus presenters said they would review the suggested changes during the design‑development and construction‑document stages. They said the campus seeks efficiencies to reduce cost per bed and noted some recent acquisitions (including a distressed purchase at 6401 Wilshire) that they said improved the system's housing capacity at lower cost. Project financing assumptions include typical campus practice of roughly 20 percent equity and 80 percent debt on financed projects, adjusted at times because of reserve draws during the pandemic.

On the environmental and neighborhood questions, presenters said they had met repeatedly with neighbors; a Westwood community council letter in support was noted. On accessibility, presenters said 10 percent of units would be ADA adaptable.

The committee moved and approved the item by roll call; one Regent noted a conditional "yes" subject to follow up on livability changes and staff committed to circle back with the committee.

What happens next: staff will proceed with design development and construction documents and return to the committee with any changes they agree to make to layouts and accessibility details.