The La Jolla university is still in the planning stage for the Pepper Canyon East District, which will have “buildings of varying heights.”

To address immense population growth – both real and expected – at UC San Diego, the La Jolla campus is amid several projects to add housing, though a recent report that UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla is exploring a 30- to 40-story tower will likely not come to fruition.

UCSD’s population, currently around 44,000 students, is projected to grow to 56,000 students by 2040; several new residential neighborhoods have recently opened on campus or are in development to keep up with the demand for housing.

The aforementioned tower is part of the forthcoming Pepper Canyon East District project, which will be developed on a 20-acre site on UCSD’s west campus, adjacent to the Light Rail Transit station.

Pepper Canyon East would replace the existing residences there and build 6,000 beds, a hotel, food and beverage, recreation and amenity spaces to add to below-market, on-campus housing. 

The project is “still in the planning stage and the size and scope of the student housing construction has not yet been determined,” UCSD spokesperson Melinda Battenberg told lajolla.ca. 

“It is unlikely the project will have a 40-story building,” Battenberg said, “but instead will have buildings of varying heights to account for needs such as open space, public access and student beds.”

A team of planners, designers and engineers are currently in Phase 1 of the process, she said, analyzing whether the site can accommodate the project.

Plans will consider density, parking, open space, circulation, service routes, utilities and more. There is no architect nor are there renderings yet for Pepper Canyon East.

The three latest residential districts at UCSD all include multi-story towers: The Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood, completed fall 2024, has 16- and 21-story towers; the Pepper Canyon West Living and Learning Neighborhood, completed fall 2024, has 22- and 23-story towers; and the Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood, completed fall 2025 with future phases completing in 2026, has 16- and 18-story towers.