Cal Poly’s Technology Park is adding a $12.2 million expansion. When will it open?

John Lynch
·2 min read

Cal Poly is expanding its Technology Park complex with a 16,200-square-foot building that will cost about $12.2 million, the San Luis Obispo university announced Wednesday.

The movie is part of a multiphase plan to increase opportunities for students and faculty members to collaborate with the science, technology, engineering, mathematics and liberal studies communities, Cal Poly said in a news release.

The second phase of the plan, which broke ground in May, consists of construction of a two-story building adjacent to the existing Technology Park complex on Mount Bishop Road in San Luis Obispo, the release said.

The new building will include a mix of fully finished spaces for businesses and startups, along with spaces that business tenants can customize to their needs, the release said.

The expanded facility will “provide space for faculty startups and opportunities for students to engage in sponsored research and development activities with entities that reside in the Tech Park,” the release said.

A 30,000-square-foot expansion is coming to Cal Poly’s Technology Park, located west of the campus core on Mount Bishop Road. Since its 2010 opening, more than 30 companies have resided in the Tech Park, employing or providing opportunities to over 200 students.
A 30,000-square-foot expansion is coming to Cal Poly’s Technology Park, located west of the campus core on Mount Bishop Road. Since its 2010 opening, more than 30 companies have resided in the Tech Park, employing or providing opportunities to over 200 students.

Funding for the project largely comes from a $6.7 million federal grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the release said.

Cal Poly built a 25,000-square-foot facility on Mount Bishop Road as part of the first phase of the Technology Park project, Cal Poly executive communications specialist Keegan Koberl told The Tribune. That structure was completed in 2010.

While the existing building has supported collaboration between university students, faculty and staff and the business community, demand for more space in the park has “consistently been higher than availability, Koberl said.

In the first 13 years of its existence, 40 companies have resided in the Technology Park complex, employing or providing opportunities to more than 400 students and delivering an estimated $16 million in economic impact annually to the region, Koberl said.

Tenants in the Phase I building currently employ at least 30 full or part-time students, Koberl said.

“With the Tech Park, Cal Poly has created a unique opportunity for students and faculty to pursue advanced research, prospect startups and develop early and lasting relationships with industry and other partners,” Jim Dunning, Cal Poly Corporation associate executive director of real estate development and services, said in the release.

Cal Poly’s newest expansion to Technology Park is slated to open in September 2024, the release said.

A rendering shows plans for Cal Poly’s Technology Park expansion.
A rendering shows plans for Cal Poly’s Technology Park expansion.