Cal Poly unveils new staff, faculty housing development in SLO. Take a look
Vista Meadows, Cal Poly’s newest faculty and staff housing project, features 34 single-family homes available for eligible employees to purchase at a lower-than-market rate. The neighborhood was dedicated on Sept. 30, 2026. Photo by: The Tribune.
Cal Poly held a dedication ceremony for its new 34-unit staff and faculty housing complex on Tuesday morning — marking the start of a new chapter for the university employees who have already started moving into their new homes. The development, Vista Meadows, is located at the corner of Grand Avenue and Slack Street, positioned directly across from campus and nestled into the foothills. Once fully complete, it will provide 34 single-family homes to Cal Poly faculty and staff who apply and qualify to purchase the homes at a lower-than-median price.
The homes range from 1,600 to over 2,100 square feet, according to Cal Poly’s website. The project was developed by Cal Poly and Cal Poly Partners and is part of the university’s attempt to address San Luis Obispo’s challenging housing market by providing more affordable options for employees.
Cal Poly staff member Stacey Shimizu, who works in the International Center, according to the university’s website, told The Tribune on Tuesday that she just closed on her home in the new neighborhood on Sept. 24 after applying for a spot in June.
“It was a whirlwind,” she said. “You know, housing prices are so high in San Luis Obispo. We’ve been renting, didn’t know that we’d be able to afford anything unless it was subsidized.” The price of her new home was locked in at $790,000 — and just the deposit for it was equivalent to what her previous house, which she and Dan Turkel owned in Illinois before the pair moved to SLO, sold for. The pair told The Tribune that their new mortgage payment for the home won’t be much more than the $4,000 a month they were paying for their rental home. “It’s expensive to live here, but it’s the Central Coast. We’ve got the ocean and the mountains,” Shimizu said.
Look inside the Cal Poly’s new faculty and staff housing development
Vista Meadows backs up to open space in the SLO foothills — and during Tuesday’s ceremony, a buck could be seen wandering in the background as Cal Poly Partners CEO Cody VanDorn addressed the crowd.
“It’s north of $1.2 million on a median home,” he said of SLO real estate. “ … Most faculty, most staff, they can’t enter into the market. It’s a very, very difficult thing.” VanDorn also spoke against a backdrop of several homes — some of which had already been sold to new homeowners. One unit, positioned along Graves Avenue, was opened up for visitors to tour.
The approximately 1,638-square-foot unit included three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms with an upstairs loft, high ceilings and plenty of natural light.
The kitchen, which overlooks campus, includes an island, cabinetry and storage and a sliding glass door that exits to the outdoor space. The home also has a two-car garage. Vista Meadows is the latest Cal Poly housing project to near completion. The university is in the process of finishing a new residence hall after a delay in the timeline. Vista Meadows also joins the Harvest Lofts and Bella Montaña as the latest university-sponsored housing option for faculty and staff. Cal Poly also offers a mortgage assistance program for those purchasing homes in the Cal Poly communities.