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March 30, 2007 Housing
project going up near U-M's North Campus
Author: Dave Gershman Page: A1 Estimated printed pages: 2 Article Text: News Staff Reporter Work is beginning in north Ann
Arbor on a huge new housing development that is being touted as a
"private dormitory" with lots of amenities designed to appeal to
University of Michigan students. Located adjacent to U-M's
North Campus, the project has been in the works for five years and at times
has drawn the attention of some City Council members who said U-M doesn't do
enough to provide student housing on campus and was slow to support this
private project. After going through several
iterations and developers since 2002, the complex - located near the
intersection of Plymouth Road and Broadway - is nowbeing called The
Courtyards. Three five-story apartment buildings will have room for 896
occupants in one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments. The developers said this week
that work is under way at the five-acre slice of land south of Broadway and
west of Murfin Avenue. The site is across the street from U-M's Bursley
residence hall. Access to the development will be from Broadway. Another
access road will be from Murfin Avenue, which was negotiated through an
easement from U-M. The project has received city
site plan approval and developers have permission to clear the site and work
on the foundation. Building permits have not been issued yet. Developers, who did not
provide a cost for the project, plan for the first students to live there in
fall 2008. That will be two years before the projected opening of North Quad,
a 460-bed dormitory on the main U-M campus that will be the first new
residence hall since 1968. "We feel like we're part
of the housing mix and don't compete with the university," said Bob
Hetherington, a spokesman for Education Realty Trust Inc. in Memphis, Tenn. A
development arm of the company is developing the property with an affiliate
of Kensington Realty Advisors Inc., which has offices in Chicago and
California. Units will be configured like
apartments for one to four people. Each unit will be furnished and come with
kitchens, washers and dryers. Each person in a unit will
have a bedroom and private bathroom. Rates are not yet available. Parking will be available for
about 230 vehicles. Hetherington said the
development is responding to students' changed expectations. "It's about
giving today's students what they need," he said. Quiet study rooms and a music
practice room are included. Other amenities will include "tanning
capsules," which are essentially vertical tanning booths, along with a
cyber cafe and a small movie theater in the complex. Outside, residents will
be able to play on a badminton court. Instead of residential
advisers, the complex will have "community assistants" and
programming that keeps students connected to campus life, Hetherington said. Jim Kosteva, U-M's community
relations director, and officials of U-M's housing office could notbe reached
for comment Thursday. Although U-M isn't affiliated
with the project, it is planning for its opening. With so many more students
living on North Campus, university buses to other parts of the campus may
become strained, for instance. "Those routes are already
heavily used and near capacity, so we would definitely have to add
service," which would increase the university's costs, said Dave Miller,
executive director for parking and transportation services. "I think it was an
important project for the community and it certainly provides some student
housing," said Sue Gott, university planner. Reporter Dave Gershman can be
reached by phone at 734-994-6818 or via e-mail at dgershman@annarbornews.com.
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