Palomar Community College in San Marcos broke ground Friday on a new campus.
The land for the new campus — about 80 acres — lies about 18 miles north of Escondido. It’s at the northeast corner of the intersection of Interstate 15 and the newly-widened state Route 76, where developers have already started to build about 2,000 new homes.
Palomar College spokeswoman Laura Gropen said the land was bought back in 2007 with money from a $694 million bond, passed that year.
“The county has identified that as an area for growth,” she said, “so we do anticipate a number of new residents joining us very close to the new campus.”
She said the location should help traffic congestion in the rapidly growing area.
“Particularly with the traffic on the 15 and the 78, and surrounding roads,” she said, “this really has been designed to serve the citizens in the northern portion of our district, as well as those who come to us from south Riverside County, Murrieta and Temecula.”
Palomar College’s North Education Complex is scheduled to open computer labs and classrooms in modular buildings on the site in the summer of 2018.
Palomar College district is the largest community college district in San Diego County. It Includes Camp Pendleton and covers nine Native American tribes.
Gropen said Palomar has identified several courses, including speech, psychology, child development, Chicano studies and American Indian studies. The college is also working with the community to see which other courses should be included at the site, including hospitality, sustainable horticulture, public safety and agribusiness.
