TEMECULA, CA — C.W. Driver Companies, a builder celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year, recently commenced construction on Mt. San Jacinto College’s (MSJC) new $43.3-million, 350,000-square-foot Temecula Valley Campus. Consisting of a seismic retrofit and tenant improvement of an existing five-story office building, the new campus will allow MSJC to expand access to residents of Southwest Riverside County and the surrounding communities. The improvements also will address current shortages in classroom space across the district.

Each of the building’s 175,000-square-foot towers will be converted from office space into classrooms, laboratories and offices to serve students who are obtaining associates degrees, career certificates and the necessary courses needed to transfer to four-year universities. The fifth floor will be entirely comprised of lab space, and upgrades will also be made to include a kitchen, fitness center and lounges for students and faculty to enjoy.

“We are proud to partner with Mt. San Jacinto College to further its presence in the Temecula Valley area,” said David Amundson, Project Executive at C.W. Driver Companies. “C.W. Driver’s robust portfolio of higher education work, including our previous experience with community colleges across California, will help to ensure success in delivering a modern, effective facility for MSJC.”

The 27-acre campus is of similar size to MSJC’s Menifee Valley location, which currently serves more than 15,000 students. The first phase of construction, including all seismic retrofits and the full build-out of three floors, is expected to complete in time for the fall 2020 semester. The second phase will complete by summer 2021.

Previously owned by Abbott Laboratories, the building was purchased by MSJC with Measure AA facilities bond funds, which were approved to fund improvements to existing facilities and purchase new ones to accommodate increasing student enrollment as the region grows.

MSJC trains local residents for jobs and prepares students to earn associate degrees and transfer to four-year universities.

“This new campus will allow us to achieve our goals of providing high-quality education that is convenient and accessible for our students,” said Beth Gomez, Vice President of Business Services at Mt. San Jacinto College. “C.W. Driver’s expertise will be instrumental in the success of this tenant improvement project, a cost-effective solution that will establish a permanent presence for our school in Temecula.”

MSJC, part of California’s 115-community college system, is a comprehensive college serving a 1,700-square-mile area from the San Gorgonio Pass to Temecula. This campus is part of the district’s five-year plan, which also includes projects at the San Jacinto, Menifee Valley and San Gorgonio Pass campuses.

“We are proud to work with C.W. Driver on the first permanent campus for higher education in Temecula and the surrounding communities,” said Roger Schultz, Superintendent and President of MSJC. “The Temecula Valley Campus will be a state-of-the-art campus that is close to home, helping students save time and money in achieving their academic and career goals.”

C.W. Driver Companies is partnering with PMSM/Nineteen Six Architects on the project. In addition to Amundson, Henri Duisters, Senior Project Manager; Richard Thurman, Senior Superintendent; Alice Trinidad, Assistant Project Manager; and John Modena, Estimator, round out the C.W. Driver team.

Additional higher education projects by C.W. Driver include Orange Coast College’s (OCC) Kinesiology and Athletics Complex; OCC’s Student Union Complex; OCC’s Language Arts and Social Science Building Complex; California State University Dominguez Hill’s Science and Innovation Building; Mesa College’s Fine Arts Building; Chapman University’s Keck Center for Science and Engineering; Cal Poly Pomona’s Student Services Building and Vanguard University’s Student Center.