In a way, the dynamics of public-private partnerships (P3s) are the same as they’ve always been. “The reasons why universities elect to go the P3 route haven’t changed much,” says Michael Baird, managing director of municipal finance for RBC Capital Markets. “For many, the decision is made based on speed to market. This happens when other alternatives can take years — resulting in an opportunity cost of not being able to provide housing to students that need housing now, in addition to increased development expenses as construction costs continue to increase year over year.” These costs — both the ones saved and the ones incurred by the university — have become increasingly important in today’s economic climate. The cost of construction materials has increased by an average of 19 percent since 2020, notes facility and construction insights provider Gordian. Meanwhile, the annual student housing rent at purpose-built communities rose by an average of 8.8 percent between November 2022 and May 2023, according to RealPage. Construction costs make it easy to see why it’s more difficult to get projects to pencil right now…and increasing demand shows why it’s more important than ever to get them off the ground. Jay Pearlman, senior vice president …
