A new upscale apartment complex is coming to Auburn in Aug. 2015.
One-Sixty Ross, located across the street from the Auburn Police Division, will be able to house 642 residents. The complex will feature elevators, parking deck and on-site security at their five and a half acre complex.
The apartments will feature a different type of living than other apartment complexes, according to Collin Carter, owner of Carter and Carter Construction Company.
"If you look at other schools, Auburn is a little behind in upscale housing," Carter said. "This will be the first of its kind."
Leasing will begin in October, and Carter said students would not have to worry about construction running late.
"We were fortunate enough to start on time," Carter said. "This is the smoothest project we have going. At the moment, we are a month or two ahead."
Lynda Tremaine, recently elected City Council representative for Ward 5, said she spoke with residents in her ward who were worried about the high-density traffic that would come with an apartment complex the size of One-Sixty Ross.
"You just have to ask, 'When is it going to stop?'" Tremaine said about the number of apartments available in the area.
The city has been researching the status of the housing market and hired the Danter Company to do a third-party assessment of the long-term student housing market in 2013. The goal of the study was to provide market expectations to assist future planning decisions on student housing development.
"It said, essentially, we are getting close to the absolution point," said Forrest Cotton, Auburn planning director.
The study suggested Auburn limit construction of new housing complexes to within a one-mile radius of the Haley Center. Both 319 Bragg and One-Sixty Ross are in the suggested radius and were included in the market study.
One of the biggest challenges, Cotton said, is that the land around the University is mostly developed, so more construction will need to be centered on the redevelopment of older properties.
The study found approximately 78 percent of University students need to live in off-campus housing. Apartments built for students had a total vacancy rate of 8.1 percent, and apartments built for Auburn residents and students had a total vacancy rate of 5.3 percent. Of the more than 5,500 rooms available to the general public, 55.1 percent are occupied by students.
According to the study, Auburn is currently over-built for the short term, but underserved by properties within a one-mile radius. Since nearly 93 percent of University students are not from Lee County, the Danter Company said there is a substantial amount of rental opportunities near campus.
However, the study said the University is working on improving the quality of education rather than focusing on enrollment growth.
Cotton contacted other college towns for his own research to supplement the study.
"We are, relatively, still in good shape, but we're looking forward," Cotton said. "We will need to be very deliberate when considering new projects."
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