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Cal Poly Corporation recently purchased four homes in San Luis Obispo at the corner of Grand Avenue and Slack Street.
All four homes were purchased from a private seller with Cal Poly Corporation funds.
The four homes — 110, 120, 130 and 140 Grand Ave. — are placed on three parcels of land, all next to each other. The total property size is about half an acre.
Cal Poly Corporation saw the opportunity to purchase the houses when for-sale signs were posted approximately two months ago. Their location — at the entrance of campus — swayed Cal Poly Corporation into the purchase, interim Vice President of Administration and Finance Stan Nosek said.
“When you have property that proximate to the campus and it appears as though you can do something to improve it, you want to sit back and consider doing that,” Nosek said. “So I would say that’s what the campus did in this situation.”
The purchase has nothing to do with a new housing project that could be built near the Grand Avenue entrance to campus, Nosek said. In fact, the homes will not be used as student housing at all.
Cal Poly might, however, refurbish the homes to provide housing for staff and faculty, Nosek said.
Starting Wednesday, Cal Poly Corporation will begin talking about possibilities and options for the property.
“It provides an opportunity for the campus to think about what we might do on the property moving forward,” Nosek said.
The conversation will begin with whether the homes are in good enough condition to put more resources in and improve, or if they need to be renovated and torn down, Nosek said.
Although Cal Poly Corporation owns the homes, they will remain part of the city of San Luis Obispo, he said.
“Having looked at the homes, they’re not in very good shape,” Nosek said. “… at the very least, we’re going to be able to upgrade what’s currently there.”
No one is currently living in the homes.
“I think it will be a real asset not only for the campus, but (also) to the city that we do something different with those homes than how they’re currently being used,” Nosek said.
If Cal Poly decides to do something other than housing on that property, they would have to get the property rezoned, Nosek said.
“If we purchase these now, that then gives us the opportunity over the next five, 10, 20, 50 years to figure out what it is that the property could do to enhance the campus,” he said.
Each house is approximately 600 square feet with two bedrooms and one bathroom. Each home also has a garage behind it that has been turned into a bedroom. The first home, 110 Grand Ave., has a larger garage that has been turned into a two-bedroom apartment.
Across from those homes on Slack is a piece of property that Cal Poly owns as well — the houses will serve as a sort of extension to that, Nosek said.