One of the University of Michigan's biggest student-living developments got a little smaller, but not much.
The developers behind University Village, an urban mixed-use student housing development, have agreed to shrink the taller of the project's two towers (the first phase) from 26 stories to 22. It is still set to open by the fall of 2010. The smaller tower (the second phase) will remain at 18 stories.
The project would replace a handful of buildings at the corner of South University and Forest streets, including the Village Corner party store. City officials are reviewing the plans, which must be approved by city council before the project can move forward.
The developers, Hughes Properties and partner Omena Real Estate Investments, are also working with the city to transfer development rights to buildings adjacent to the project to provide a buffer between University Village and the surrounding neighborhood. The development rights concept is the same one used by the city's Greenbelt program to preserve rural land around the city.
University Village is the latest high-rise development aimed at providing student housing in the city's downtown and campus areas. Those projects include the university's North Quad (its first dorm in 30 years), upgrades to a number of other dorms, 4 Elevel Lofts and Zaragon Place Lofts.
University Village's plans call for two residential towers connected by a level of ground floor retail space. It would incorporate environmentally friendly construction techniques, materials and systems, such as passive solar technologies, advanced water recapture systems and a green roof. The developers are going for LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Each tower will be able to house about 850 students each in loft-style apartments. Each unit will come furnished with amenities like flat screen TVs and floor-to-ceiling windows. There will also be a café, fitness facility, business center and a landscaped roof garden.
Source: Tracy Koe Wick, principal of Kirkwood A Marketing Group
Writer: Jon Zemke
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