The seven-story, 691-bed student apartment complex dubbed Douglas Heights.The first major development on M.L. King Boulevard in years is set to be unveiled tomorrow, as officials prepare to kick off a large student housing project some say could fundamentally transform what today is largely a forgotten, run-down district.
The seven-story, 691-bed student apartment complex dubbed Douglas Heights will encompass nearly an entire block just south of M.L. King, where the 275,000-square-foot structure will transform what is currently a large, fenced-off parking lot between Douglas Street and University Street.
Construction kicks off Monday, and officials say the building will be ready in August 2016 after nearly two years of work.
“This is not only our groundbreaking, but we feel like it’s the groundbreaking for the whole MLK district,” said Chris Curtis, president of Riverside Development.
Curtis, the developer and private owner of the Douglas Heights project, says he spent almost a year studying best practices in student housing before pursuing the student housing-style apartments, which required him to assemble a handful of separate lots in a largely abandoned area of downtown.