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Hill Place


Rice Brewer

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I find this development interesting. For one thing I'm a little skeptical of whether this will be a good thing or not. Obviously if it is mostly student housing then it won't be a negative thing, but for a long term purpose I wonder how these structures will stand as far as student housing. I hope the renderings are good for these buildings, because now it seems it could possibly be like a compound instead of a southern Fayetteville revitalization effort (as Aspen Ridge).

Anyways, I'll withhold too much judgment and hope the best for the effort.

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I find this development interesting. For one thing I'm a little skeptical of whether this will be a good thing or not. Obviously if it is mostly student housing then it won't be a negative thing, but for a long term purpose I wonder how these structures will stand as far as student housing. I hope the renderings are good for these buildings, because now it seems it could possibly be like a compound instead of a southern Fayetteville revitalization effort (as Aspen Ridge).

Anyways, I'll withhold too much judgment and hope the best for the effort.

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It looks like Place Properties is a major player in the student housing market. Their web site shows properties all over the South, Midwest and even in California. They strictly cater to students with a utilities paid rent (cap on electricity) and rent to individual students instead of the unit as a whole. There is a complex at Arkansas Tech in Russellville and another at Little Rock that sound nice. Their rates could be considered high end for college students so I would think the complex would be a good fit for Fayetteville.

Place Properties site

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It looks like Place Properties is a major player in the student housing market. Their web site shows properties all over the South, Midwest and even in California. They strictly cater to students with a utilities paid rent (cap on electricity) and rent to individual students instead of the unit as a whole. There is a complex at Arkansas Tech in Russellville and another at Little Rock that sound nice. Their rates could be considered high end for college students so I would think the complex would be a good fit for Fayetteville.

Place Properties site

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  • 3 months later...
Yeah, the newspaper is still calling it Hill Place. I talked to the developer's wife, who didn't know what I was talking about when I called it that; she called it Aspen Ridge when she was talking about the Planning Commission meeting. So who knows.
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On the planning commission agenda it was listed as Hill Place and also in an article in Sunday's NWA times. Seems some of the neighbors have a problem with it. Drainage and changing the feel of the neighborhood were mentioned. Drainage is covered by city ordinance and can be dealt with. Worries about the neighborhood changing to student housing when you are right down the street from the university don't have a lot of validity to me. It was going to be multi-family housing anyway as Aspen Ridge. Guess I can see the point about students living next door but this seems like it will be a well-managed development that will keep problems to a minimum.

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On the planning commission agenda it was listed as Hill Place and also in an article in Sunday's NWA times. Seems some of the neighbors have a problem with it. Drainage and changing the feel of the neighborhood were mentioned. Drainage is covered by city ordinance and can be dealt with. Worries about the neighborhood changing to student housing when you are right down the street from the university don't have a lot of validity to me. It was going to be multi-family housing anyway as Aspen Ridge. Guess I can see the point about students living next door but this seems like it will be a well-managed development that will keep problems to a minimum.
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I sounds very simliar to College Park (now Garden Park).

When it was built in the early 90s, College Park was part of a national company that managed student-focused housing, and had a similar set up with the rooms being rented individually to cater to student needs.

I know what College Park turned out to be (underage party-central), and I am just glad this new version isn't going into my neighborhood.

The upside, I guess, is this could spur some more entertainment related businesses in that general area, and might be a boon to more restaurants, etc in the Mill District.

All in all, its nothing more than a college student-centered apartment complex with a shelf-life of 10 years or less.

Still, its mildly better than the trailer park it replaced.

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I sounds very simliar to College Park (now Garden Park).

When it was built in the early 90s, College Park was part of a national company that managed student-focused housing, and had a similar set up with the rooms being rented individually to cater to student needs.

I know what College Park turned out to be (underage party-central), and I am just glad this new version isn't going into my neighborhood.

The upside, I guess, is this could spur some more entertainment related businesses in that general area, and might be a boon to more restaurants, etc in the Mill District.

All in all, its nothing more than a college student-centered apartment complex with a shelf-life of 10 years or less.

Still, its mildly better than the trailer park it replaced.

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Yeah I was thinking of it possibly helping to get more going on in the Mill District as well. I haven't really looked into college themed apartment complexes much. I know how College Park turned out. I had just assumed some bad management on their part. But is there a general trend of these types of places only working well for 10 years?
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Depending on management, aiming it at students isn't a bad idea. With the market the way it is right now (renters around here are hurting a bit now that houses can be had with mortgage payments similar or lower than rent, so I hear from some property managers anyway) students are about the only ones that are a reliable market, at least in the immediate future. Unfortunately, a new development is bound to be relatively expensive, and will probably have a higher chance of being inhabited by the kids that mommy and daddy are just sending money to, which are generally not the brightest or most responsible (yes, it's a stereotype, but since we're stereotyping already). At any rate, it's right next to University property, so I don't see a problem with it being student aimed, as long as it's well sound proofed and they keep it well maintained. (judging by the student inhabited houses in that area, it doesn't appear to be a high priority of theirs, unfortunately) The real issue will be management.

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I've been reading a lot about this project in the paper recently. A lot of the neighbors are pretty skeptical because of what happened with the former developers when it was Aspen Ridge. Which by the way I keep seeing it now referred to as Hill Place and not Aspen Ridge. Which is a good move, why have it associated with the former development that had all those problems. It sounds like water could be a big issue. There's a creek there and apparently some springs on the land as well. Sounds like there could be some problems with flooding, especially after more of the land is actually developed. But it also sounds like it's not quite wet enough to be considered a 'wetland' and get help through that route either.

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Another student housing project is being proposed next to this one. Summit, a 16 acre, 294 unit development atop the hill between Hill Place and Razorback Road is in the early stages of the city planning process. It is being developed by the owner of the Hill Place site, although Hill Place is being developed by Place Properties. According to this article the two will have over 1,000 bedrooms in over 500 housing units- quite a large impact for south Fayetteville.

Increased off campus student housing is needed if the university's plan to add thousands of more students is to be realized. This area is just south of campus and so is a logical area to add student housing. If it is added according to city ordinances and hopefully some type of conditional use requirement concerning the long term management of the complexes it should be a positive addition to the city.

NWA Times article

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Another student housing project is being proposed next to this one. Summit, a 16 acre, 294 unit development atop the hill between Hill Place and Razorback Road is in the early stages of the city planning process. It is being developed by the owner of the Hill Place site, although Hill Place is being developed by Place Properties. According to this article the two will have over 1,000 bedrooms in over 500 housing units- quite a large impact for south Fayetteville.

Increased off campus student housing is needed if the university's plan to add thousands of more students is to be realized. This area is just south of campus and so is a logical area to add student housing. If it is added according to city ordinances and hopefully some type of conditional use requirement concerning the long term management of the complexes it should be a positive addition to the city.

NWA Times article

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

Thanks for the pic. I don't have any of the exact figures. But I had seen something showing that Fayetteville was weathering the housing market pretty well. Housing sales haven't dropped off much compared to the rest of the metro area. Also Fayetteville homes are also keeping their prices and not dropping much as well.

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