U of Maryland Student Housing Project Progresses as Clark Builders Comes Aboard

August 2, 2010
By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor

Development of student housing projects across the country continues at a strong pace, and in College Park, Md., the University of Maryland has selected Arlington, Va.-based Clark Builders Group to handle construction of The Varsity, a mixed-use residential project adjacent to the school’s main entrance.

The Varsity, a key to the renaissance of the area’s Route 1 Corridor, will feature 258 apartments to accommodate 901 students, 30,000 square feet of retail and a single-level elevated parking facility. Grimm & Parker Architects is behind the design of the six-story complex.

The Varsity is among numerous student housing development projects from coast to coast that are underway, in the planning stages or near completion. To name a few, in July, Symphony Development announced that work is underway on the 161-unit West 27th Place, a mixed-use market-rate student housing development adjacent to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. July also brought Education Realty Trust Inc.’s announcement that the University of Texas System Board of Regents has selected the university housing owner and developer to build a high-rise apartment tower near the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, Education Realty Trust commenced construction of a 20-story, 572-residence graduate student housing project in the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

“Demand and the flow of new deals in the student housing space remain strong,” Keith Anderson, President of Clark Builders Group, told CPE. “The ability of the contractor to meet critical delivery dates is a key part of these deals, so we are honored to be trusted with a large, high profile deal like The Varsity.”

Construction of the mixed-use property will reach completion in time to accommodate the start of the Fall 2011 semester. “The owners have made sure the product answers the specific market needs at the University of Maryland and our team is working hard every day to ensure we hit the delivery schedule,” Anderson added.