UC Santa Barbara faculty and staff will soon be able to move into new housing in the city’s downtown area on a potential lottery-based application.
The 36-unit complex at 219 East Haley St. will provide 1-3 bedroom apartments and studios dedicated to faculty and staff at UCSB.
One-story homes used to sit on the site of the property, but were demolished to build the multi-story residential complex now called Alena on Haley.
While rent prices for the Haley Street property are still being finalized, they are estimated to range from $2,900-$4,500 for each unit, said Kiki Reyes, university spokesperson.
Employees were notified on Monday by UCSB that applications for units were available.
“This is fairly new as we are figuring out the amount of people that can apply,” Reyes said.
A representative from Alena on Haley told the News-Press the apartment complex did not want to comment on the new university housing.
In June, the university had signed a lease with the property to provide faculty and staff housing.
UCSB Chancellor Dennis Assanis wrote in a memo to the campus on June 12 that the Alena on Haley apartments would be “below market rate.”
In the university’s effort to “support workforce housing needs,” it also acquired an 80-unit property called Soltara Apartments in downtown Santa Barbara for UCSB employees.
The Soltara Apartments are located on 27 East Gutierrez St..
Alena on Haley will offer faculty and staff two studios, one three-bedroom, 13 one-bedroom apartments and 20 two-bedroom apartments, Reyes wrote in a statement.
But if too many faculty and staff apply for units, the university will use a lottery system to select residents, Reyes wrote.
Reyes added that units are expected to become available for employees in the upcoming coming weeks.
