MiraCosta College has finished nearly all 42 projects from its $455 million Measure MM bond, delivering new buildings, renovations, biotech labs, and the award-winning Health and Wellness Hub to modernize facilities and strengthen workforce training. Despite inflation and supply shortages, the program came in under budget, saving taxpayers $6 million. With state-of-the-art infrastructure in place, the college now turns its focus to expanding programs, student support, and transfer success.
After nearly a decade since its approval in 2016, MiraCosta Community College District is wrapping up the last of its 42 cross-campus projects under the $455 million bond Measure MM.
The projects included 12 new buildings and 16 renovations, aimed at refreshing infrastructure, strengthening career training and bolstering student support services. Measure MM was the first successful MiraCosta College bond measure in more than 50 years with a passage rate of 62.4%.
For the projects, MiraCosta College partnered with construction management company Kitchell.
“We needed to make improvements to our facilities in general,” MiraCosta College Director of Facilities Thomas Macias said. “We had high school students coming from schools built with bond money to a dated college with old technology, old facilities, old classrooms. We can now tell everybody that we are state of the art. Everything’s been modernized, renovated, new — something to be very proud of.”
Over the course of the last nine years, there were three series approved for bonds. Series A was issued in Sept. 2017 for $100 million, Series B was issued in Sept. 2020 for $255 million and the last series was issued in Sept. 2022 for $100 million and will be completed next year.
One of the biggest remaining projects is the Building 3000 Series (Equity Village) Classroom Renovations, which are currently underway.
“That one’s super cool,” Kitchell Executive Director David Dunn said. “It’s creating a lot of classrooms and student-focused spaces.”
Supporting the Workforce of the Future
Measure MM enabled the implementation of MiraCosta College’s Facilities Master Plan, through which the district prioritized workforce readiness. Providing resources for students to enter San Diego’s burgeoning biotechnology scene was one highlight.
“It was done working closely with these industries, asking, ‘What do they need the students to be prepared for?’” Dunn said. “[The biotech facilities] have the equipment and the labs to prepare students for what they will see going into the working world.”
Another highlight of the project was the Health and Wellness Hub, which was recognized by Engineering News-Record (ENR) in 2024 as the best in its Higher Education/Research category. The facility features the highest technology in nursing training, including interactive dummies that simulate birth and nursing.
“It is definitely preparing students to go out into the workforce,” Macias said. “It enables them to work in an environment they’re going to see in newer hospitals that are being built.”
Other considerations in MiraCosta College’s projects include the trend of upskilling among current professionals, adaptation of facilities to suit hybrid learning and provision of student wellness resources and centers.
“We need to update our infrastructure, update technology, be environmentally conscious — that’s a lot,” MiraCosta College Vice President of Administrative Services Elba Gomez said. “Technology is constantly changing, and we need to make sure that, as people are coming back to take classes here, we are offering classes that are up to date, putting people in jobs and keeping up with the trends.”
Challenges, Breakthroughs
In 2024, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association recognized MiraCosta College with an “Excellent” rating for managing the Measure MM bond construction program. At the program’s conclusion, MiraCosta plans to save taxpayers $6 million more than originally projected in 2016.
In order to accomplish the project, MiraCosta College has contributed additional funds to the $455 million budget.
During the program, Dunn noted that inflation and increased costs of steel and lumber presented a challenge. Dunn referenced data from the National Association of Home Builders that showed construction costs in California today to be 47% higher than in 2020.
Material shortages were another roadblock, but early planning by Kitchell and MiraCosta College prepared the team to overcome.
When Macias welcomed the first students into MiraCosta’s new gymnasium, he said that the impact of the project solidified for him.
“They were screaming. They could not believe what they were seeing,” Macias said. “It was a night-and-day difference from the old gym to the new gym … . It was very fulfilling to watch the whole thing get developed, designed and built, and then see the reward of these students walking into a state of the art gymnasium with such excitement.”
After the Measure MM projects conclude, MiraCosta College’s new infrastructure will be strong, said Macias. The next priority is supporting the district’s people — whether its through program development, student outreach or growing high transfer rates to University of California schools.
