San Mateo County Community College District and SummerHill Homes have started the construction for residential development along College Drive at the east entrance of the campus, which has altered the lanes at the College Drive campus entrance.

A 70-unit residential project and 40 single family detached homes on a 6-acre land, which will be called the Skyline Ridge, and a two-building 30 apartment units on a 2-acre site for college faculty and staff, which will be called the College Ridge, was approved by the City Council on February 27, 2018.

“That’s (construction) for the faculty and staff and there will also be single family homes as well,” said Director of Community Relations and Marketing Cherie Colin. “So, we (SMCCCD) sold the portion of the land to a developer, the SummerHill Homes.”

The project is expected to cause disruption from time to time and is anticipated to open in late 2020. Anyone coming onto campus should make adjustments to be on time for their classes and work.

“It’s just gonna take some time and I think people may have to add some time into their commute,” Colin said. “There might be times during the construction where a lane is completely blocked off.”

The Department of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations of Skyline College has notified the Skyline employees and students through an email about the ongoing construction to warn them of the possible disruption that the construction will cause.

“It’s important for people to have a heads up so we’ve been sending communication just to warn people,” Colin added.

To avoid the construction along College Drive, the Skyline College Express shuttle has changed its route to and from the campus.

“They have already changed the route of the shuttle,” Colin said. “Instead of entering campus through the College Drive entrance, the shuttle is being re-routed to enter through Sharp Park [Road].”

However, as of publication, the SamTrans buses that stop at Skyline remain entering from College Drive.

Despite the notice that the construction may cause a slight inconvenience, it has not affected some Skyline professors and employees.

“I drive down College Drive and pass the construction site everyday,” said counselor Carlos Romero of Skyline’s International Student Program. “I haven’t been impacted by it so far. It doesn’t cause me to get to campus late at all either’.”

Having knowledge about the possible traffic due to the construction, some professors take a different route to the campus. Meanwhile, some students have adjusted their schedule to be on time especially for their morning classes.

“The construction has not affected my commute,” said Nandar Paing, a Skyline business administration major. “I don’t get late in class because I adjust my time, like, leaving earlier than usual.”

Even though the SMCCCD continuously develops the community with the concurrent construction projects, the Skyline College administration never fails to notify both the Skyline employees and students of the inconvenience that these projects may cause.