The Cuesta College Board of Trustees voted this week to accept the final construction work for the San Luis Obispo Campus Center, marking the official move-in date for select offices as May 11.
The much-anticipated move will begin with only the second floor, which houses the college administration, human resources, board of trustees and foundation offices. “It is unlikely our more student-facing groups will move before commencement, and Drip Coffee will remain in their current location through the end of the semester,” Cuesta Vice President Todd Hampton said via email.
Drip Coffee, which has had an interim cafe this semester in the cafeteria as they awaited the completion of the campus center, will be housed on the first floor of the center along with counseling, admissions, financial aid, DSPS, outreach and workforce coordination.
Hampton said the move is strategic, as to “impact students as little as possible as we approach commencement.”
The center has had a long road to arriving at this moment of completion.
Starting in 2014, when SLO voters approved Measure L, a $275 million local education bond measure, which has allowed Cuesta to address longstanding facility, infrastructure and technology needs, including the creation of the campus center. This was the first bond the District had received in more than 40 years.
The campus center construction began in 2023 when a notice to proceed was issued to Atascadero-based Wysong Construction on April 6, 2023, with a construction start date of May 1, 2023. The project was anticipated to take two years to complete, but due to significant procurement and construction delays, its completion date was removed in the fall of 2025.
The project reached substantial completion on January 13, 2026, with Wysong Construction finishing up the final punch list items. The project has since undergone final inspection and all required documentation has been received. The Board’s acceptance of the project as complete, which authorized the District to file the Notice of Completion that marks the warranty period and allows the release of retention funds for contract terms.
With the completion of the campus center, the college is now looking at its next major remodel of the 3100-3400 building, called the Tenant Improvement Project. This project is still in its design phase and is anticipated to be advertised for bid in late spring of this year.
