FORT COLLINS, COLO. — Landmark Properties has started construction of The Standard at Fort Collins, a 780-bed community serving students and young professionals near Colorado State University in Fort Collins. The community is set for completion in fall 2020. The property will offer studio, one-, two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom units. Shared amenities will include a rooftop swimming pool, coffee bar, study lounge, private study rooms, a 24-hour fitness center, clubhouse, grilling spaces and outdoor courtyards. Katerra is serving as general contractor for the project.
DALLAS — It’s no secret that today’s students spend a lot of time on their phones, perusing social media and scanning the internet. With such a high level of importance placed on digital content, what people are saying about your community through online reviews is becoming more powerful than ever. As an owner or operator, it’s imperative to handle negative reviews quickly and efficiently, and to bolster the amount of positive reviews left about your community. A panel of reputation management strategists weighed in on best online reputation practices during the session, “Review and Reputation Management: Who Should be Managing Your Reputation? What are Best Practices? And Creating an Effective & Efficient Strategy for your Teams,” at the second annual LeaseCon: A Social Media, Digital & Traditional Marketing Boot Camp, held at The Westin Galleria in Dallas in September. “There is a direct correlation between online reputation and how well your assets are performing,” says John Hinckley, CEO of Modern Message. “Building the right strategy around reputation management is key. It’s been interesting to watch over the last eight years and see the industry change from turning a blind eye to reputation to incorporating it as an important component of …
BLACKSBURG, VA. — A joint venture between Core Spaces and Kayne Anderson Real Estate is set to break ground on Hub on Campus Blacksburg, a 1,530-bed student housing community serving students at Virginia Tech. The project will be delivered in two phases, with the first scheduled for completion in fall 2021. The second phase of development is set to open in fall 2022. The community will feature amenities such as a swimming pool, fitness center, weight room, study lounges, walking paths and a 1,110-space parking garage. TSB Capital Advisors consulted on the formation of the joint venture. TSB Realty arranged the sale of the development site to the new venture on behalf of the seller, The Reliant Group.
RIVERSIDE, CALIF. — The University of California, Riverside (UCR) and American Campus Communities (NYSE: ACC) have broken ground on North District, a mixed-use community anchored by new student housing buildings. The project will be situated on the university’s campus in Riverside, a city located in the Inland Empire about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. Upon full build-out, the project will feature up to 6,000 new student housing beds, new dining facilities, an NCAA Division I competition field, a field house sports facility, functional open spaces, multi-use spaces that can serve as classrooms, meeting spaces and study areas, and more than 100,000 square feet for retail, commercial and university services. The project, a redevelopment of the former Canyon Crest Family Housing site, is part of UCR’s vision for creating a “living-learning” campus, much like other mixed-use developments seek a live-work-play environment. The university projects enrollment will rise from approximately 24,000 students today to 35,000 by 2035, necessitating the new student housing beds. “This project will help us prepare for this tremendous growth,” says UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox. “Part of this vision includes residential life programs that will provide a balance of privacy while embracing community to enhance the overall academic …
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Landmark Properties has acquired The Nine at Rio and The Nine at West Campus, two student housing properties totaling 692 beds near the University of Texas at Austin. The Nine at West Campus totals 345 beds and features amenities such as a pool with a tanning shelf, courtyard grilling stations, fitness center, game room, media lounge and coffee bar. The Nine at Rio totals 347 beds and offers a similar amenity package. The seller was not disclosed.
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Preiss Co. has sold three student housing communities serving North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Dispositions include University Village at 2505, a 288-bed community developed in 2012; Campus West at Tryon, a 162-bed community developed in 2014; and The College Inn, a 440-bed community developed in 2004. Ryan Lang, Brandon Buell and Jack Brett of Newmark Knight Frank represented the seller in the transaction. Chicago-based Inland acquired the portfolio for an undisclosed amount. University Village at 2505 offers four-bedroom, fully furnished units with shared amenities including a clubhouse, 24-hour fitness center, computer lab, study room and beach volleyball court. Campus West at Tryon offers three-bedroom units with bed-to-bath parity alongside shared amenities including a lounge area, outdoor grilling areas and picnic space. The College Inn offers two-, three- and four-bedroom, fully furnished units with shared amenities including a fitness center, swimming pool, grill and patio area, a media and game room, and an internet cafe.
DALLAS — When it comes to attracting the attention of students — and, more specifically, Generation Z — maintaining a positive and unique social media and digital marketing presence is critical. Most owners and operators of student housing today are pushing marketing dollars toward creating a digital brand in hopes of attracting a greater number of lease conversions. As an owner or operator, how do you allocate the right amount of funding to this segment of the business? And how do you know if it’s actually working? A panel of owners, operators and digital marketing strategists weighed in on this topic during the session, “How to Convince Owners/Operators to Allocate Budget to Social Media and Digital Marketing & How to Report and Validate Results and Maximize Conversions,” at the second annual LeaseCon: A Social Media, Digital & Traditional Marketing Boot Camp, held at The Westin Galleria in Dallas in September. Achieving optimal digital marketing results begins with transparent data on what works, and what doesn’t. “It’s really important to choose a digital marketing partner that is going to be as transparent as possible,” says Brian Garrigan, head of sales for the central U.S. at Simpli.fi. “A lot of organizations will …
BOSTON — Suffolk University has purchased the 114-room Ames Boston Hotel, located in Financial District of the city, for $63 million. The historic property, located at 1 Court St., was originally built in 1893 and redeveloped in 2009. The university will rebrand the building as a student housing facility called the One Court Street Residence Hall, which will ultimately house approximately 280 students. The building will undergo minor renovations, which are slated for completion in fall 2020. Ted Wheatley and Robert Webster of JLL represented Suffolk University in the transaction. Denny Meikleham, Alan Suzuki and Matthew Enright of JLL represented the seller, Invesco Real Estate.
AUSTIN, TEXAS — The Parallel Co. has begun construction on an 18-story, 558-bed student housing community located near the University of Texas at Austin. The property will offer 153 fully furnished units. Shared amenities will include a coffee bar, rooftop sky lounge, study lounges with conference rooms, fitness center, package room with lockers and a rooftop pool area with outdoor TVs, grills, hot tub and a fire pit. A timeline for delivery was not announced. Parallel recently opened the 502-bed MUZE community, which is located nearby and also serves students attending the University of Texas at Austin.
Student housing amenities used to have a reputation in the popular press and in most multifamily circles for over-the-top extravagance. “Millennials came into the space when it was an all-out amenities war,” says Madison Meier, vice president of business development at Austin, Texas-based Campus Advantage. “Everyone was on standby wondering, ‘What’s going to be the next big thing? Lazy river? Climbing wall? Golf simulator? It felt like every developer was grasping at straws to find their unique, defining amenity.” A generational changing of the guard, along with rising construction costs, has muted some of those larger-than-life community perks. The New York Times recently interviewed Campus Advantage about this very topic, having caught wind of the company’s promotion of its intangible “success amenities.” The article, published on June 25, says student housing amenities today directly support the gig economy through shared study spaces, sophisticated digital networks and well-planned fitness centers. Mental, social and financial health are the main aspirations of Gen Z, where extravagance takes the form of Peloton bikes and creatively designed, high-tech study nooks that do double duty as flexible social space. Campus Advantage’s success amenities are provided by its Students First residence life program, which preps students to …