University Issues RFP for Conceptual Land Use Plan/Utility Assessment

In 2015, the State of California transferred jurisdiction of the former Frank D. Lanterman State Hospital and Developmental Center to the CSU system. The CSU Board of Trustees gave Cal Poly Pomona lead responsibility for the development of the roughly 300-acre site.

At its peak, the Lanterman Center was home to 3,000 patients and around 4,000 staff. However, a shifting approach to mental-health care, from private institutions to community-based care, as well as the costs associated with maintaining the institutions, led the state to close the facility on July 1, 2015.

Read the full history of the Lanterman Project and the site’s history.

Given the site’s large size and location less than a mile from campus, the development has tremendous potential to benefit Cal Poly Pomona, the community and the region. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the State of California and the CSU system stipulates that the site should be developed in a way that serves the university’s mission and benefits the community.

In alignment with the MOU, the vision for the site, which began to take shape under Cal Poly Pomona (CPP) President Michael Ortiz, and was formalized under CPP President Soraya Coley, imagines the site as a thriving and active live, learn, work and play district that provides a mix of academic and research space, affordable and market rate housing, retail, recreation and open space, in alignment with the university’s mission, and delivered through a fiscally responsible, public-private approach and extensive public engagement process. 

“The site is a CSU system asset, managed collaboratively by Cal Poly Pomona and the Chancellor’s Office,” said Lanterman Project Lead Benjamin F. Quillian. “It represents a unified partnership in which the campus and the system operate as one, sharing both responsibility and financial stewardship to advance the CSU’s mission.”

Looking Back at Lanterman Project Milestones

Over the past 10 years, the university has conducted market analyses, feasibility studies and listening sessions, and began conversations with two master developers. The most recent effort with Edgewood Realty and Greystar (ERG) stalled in February 2025 due to the COVID pandemic, financing issues, and concerns about the risk of funding pre-development costs, as well as the unknown costs to build out new underground infrastructure and the extent to which any historic designation would affect the development plans. The stated concerns reaffirmed the need for the university to assume greater pre-development responsibilities upfront in order to make the project viable and to secure developer engagement.

In the last year, planning efforts for the development of the project have taken major steps forward based on lessons learned. In fall 2024, the university engaged Kosmont Financial Services to investigate potential public financing options. Their report underscored that the project must have committed financial resources to underwrite both the pre-development and infrastructure phases to move forward.

This past April, the CSU system, through the Chancellor’s Office, made a $750,000 investment to fund additional pre-development work, following a request from then-President Soraya Coley.

Upon receiving funding approval from the CSU system, CPP hired Keyser Marston Associates (KMA) to conduct a market assessment and a financial feasibility study. The university also retained the firm Michael Baker International (MBI) to complete a pre-environmental impact report (EIR), including an analysis of the historical significance of existing buildings. 

Looking Forward: Fall 2025 and Beyond

On Oct. 31, 2025, CPP issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a firm to develop the Conceptual Land Use Plan/Utility Assessment; submissions by interested parties are due by Wednesday, Dec. 3. The work will include assessment of existing utility infrastructure and the cost of improvements needed. Internal and external stakeholder consultation will be important during this phase. This effort will be completed by late spring 2026 and will include data and analysis from both the KMA and MBI reports.

The pre-development work being accomplished by CPP will give developers a more in-depth understanding of the campus and community's preferences and ideas for types of land uses and the acreage requirements for each land use type based on both market demand and financial feasibility. KMA is developing a survey that will capture CPP and community stakeholders’ thoughts on the site’s development

“This makes it more likely that we will get a developer willing to commit to the project, because we are already aligned,” said Anthony Orlando, professor of finance and real estate, who is also the faculty representative on the Lanterman Project Team. “We want to attract developers who are aligned with the University’s programmatic goals [for proposed land uses] and expected financial return to support the academic mission of Cal Poly Pomona.”

Upon completion of all three pre-development efforts, a new RFP for a master developer will be issued, likely in the summer of 2026 to coincide with CPP launching the process for a Project EIR in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Maintaining the Site

To help fund maintenance and security for the site, during the long pre-development process, Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises has promoted and managed the site as a rental location primarily for filming. Since 2015, those efforts have contributed approximately $16.6 million toward those costs. In fiscal year 2024-25, there were a total of 105 productions with approximately 270 shoot days.

“Some people worry that we are putting serious money into this project, and they’re asking if we should keep doing that and will it be worth it. Those are serious questions, and we should have that debate,” Orlando said. “But let’s not lose sight of the tremendous potential that this site has to do good in the region. We are in a housing affordability crisis in Southern California. I’ve never seen a plot of land that has the potential Lanterman has.”

A “Once-in-a-Generation" Opportunity

“The Lanterman project represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Cal Poly Pomona, the CSU system and the surrounding communities, with the potential to provide affordable and market rate housing for our employees and the local workforce, academic opportunities and long-term economic benefits for both the campus and the surrounding region,” Orlando said.