TEMPE, AZ – National award-winning KTGY Architecture + Planning is pleased to announce that Legacy Partners Residential has received city approval for the development of University Village 2.0, a new $60+ million mixed-use 775-bed student housing community in Tempe, Arizona. Located just minutes away Arizona State University (ASU), shopping and dining, and directly adjacent to Tempe's light rail line, the new development will replace a 1960s-era student housing complex, which will be demolished. KTGY is the project’s designer and architect.
“This development adds to the expanding student housing offerings around ASU,” said KTGY Design Principal David Senden. “Nearly all of the units will have private bathrooms for each student and, while typically four students will share an apartment, each student will have his or her own sleeping room. Most young people are growing up with their own room, so they won’t settle for less when they go to college.”
According to Senden, “Gen Z is a little more cost conscious than the Millennials that came before, so we’re seeing more emphasis placed on value with more four-bedroom units. However, this community will have a host of amenities to compete with the very best communities located near the campus.”
Legacy Partners Senior Managing Director Tim O’Brien says that University Village 2.0 will provide an exceptional living experience for its residents with a myriad of indoor and outdoor amenities, including a resort-style pool with beach entry, outdoor jumbo TV, sand volleyball court, fitness center and clubroom spaces.
University Village 2.0 will consist of a single, five-story apartment building wrapped around two central courtyards and a parking garage. “The large central courtyard will include a community pool, spa, outdoor kitchen, cabanas and television. A smaller outdoor nook will feature a two-way fireplace, garden and seating to give residents a quieter place to congregate,” O’Brien added.
“Students want to be able to walk to campus and have resort-style amenities,” said Senden. “They want areas where they can play and socialize as well as have a quiet place to study. They also want efficient floor plans that offer housing choices depending on their budget. We feel that we have accomplished this in the design and planning of University Village 2.0. Our residents will have an enriched lifestyle that balances their learning and living needs and wants.”
University Village 2.0 will have 260 units and include studio, one-, two- and four-bedroom units targeted to students and young professionals in a live/work/play environment. The community will also include 1,800 square feet of ground-level retail space to serve its residents and activate the street.
The units will range in size from 445 to approximately 1,400 square feet and feature high-end finishes, stone countertops, stainless steel kitchen appliances, vinyl wood-plank flooring and in-unit washers and dryers. The majority of the units will have four-bedroom floorplans.
“The location is University Village 2.0’s greatest amenity, being just steps away from the Arizona State Campus, a light rail station, shopping, and dining,” said KTGY’s Senior Designer Ben Kasdan, AIA, LEED AP. “Bikeability and walkability were priorities for the design of this community. Bicycle rooms and main points of pedestrian entry to the building are strategically located to maximize convenience, safety, and visibility from the street. As a result, the aesthetic design of the street frontage is dominated by these functions.”
University Village will be constructed using sustainable building methods and will incorporate a number of “green” features designed to ensure its long-term energy-efficiency and sustainability. “Students expect environmental responsibility from their campus, and certainly housing is such a large part of a student’s college experience. If housing is new, students expect a green building,” Kasdan said.
KTGY is also the designer for Legacy Partners’ new apartment community in downtown Denver, Point 21 Urban Flats, which is nearing completion. “Legacy Partners is excited to be working with KTGY again, their expertise in student housing and sustainable high-density multifamily design makes them invaluable for the University Village 2.0 project,” said O’Brien.
Legacy Partners plans to start demolition and construction on University Village 2.0 by summer 2016, and open in time for the fall 2018 semester. The property is located at 936 South Terrace Road, near South Rural Road in Tempe.