Cottage-Style Student Housing Brings Wealth of Amenities to San Luis Obispo, Calif.

2020 MFE Awards, Student, Merit: The Academy Palomar

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Glenn Rose Photography

PROJECT DETAILS

Location: San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Developer: GMH Capital Partners
Architect: Arris Studio Architects
Builder: Robbins|Reed
Opened: August 2019
Number of Units: 33
Unit Mix: Studio, four-bedroom, and five-bedroom cottage-style options
Rents: $766 to $1,995

The 33-unit Academy Palomar provides off-campus housing in a convenient location between California Polytechnic State University, the Mill Street Historic District, and downtown San Luis Obispo, California.

Completed in August 2019 by developer GMH Capital Partners, the garden-style apartment community touts a balance between luxury, fun, and comfort in a “neighborhood, cottage-style” setting. Features include modern interior finishes, state-of-the-art amenities, and scenic views of the nearby mountains.

The development is comprised of 34,529 square feet of rental space, averaging 1,046 square feet per unit. The units are divided between seven buildings with three different floor plans: studios, four-bedrooms, and five-bedrooms. In-unit amenities include washers and dryers, stainless steel and energy-efficient appliances, 50-inch HDTVs, and wired and wireless internet.

The development involved the adaptive reuse of the Sandford House, home to a former fraternity, which GMH transformed into the leasing office and amenity space. The new design features tall ceilings, a wrap-around porch, and lush greenery around the building to help bring the outdoors inside.

On-site, residents have access to parking, car-charging stations, bike storage, outdoor seating, serenity courtyards, and an outdoor patio with a fire pit and a Bocce ball court. The new clubhouse includes a free coffee bar featuring Starbucks coffee, a Mario Kart DX arcade gaming system in the entertainment lounge, a study hall center with separate study group rooms and free printing, and a 24-hour fitness center.

Management hosts weekly and monthly on-site resident events, such as TV watch parties, game nights, holiday dinners, and complimentary catering events. In addition, The Academy Palomar provides services like roommate matching and flexible, individual leases to make it easier for students to find a suitable place to live.

GMH also saw a demand for affordable housing for young professionals with lower incomes. It worked closely with the Housing Authority of the City of San Luis Obispo to offer four studio apartments with significantly lower rents.

About the Author

Christine Serlin

Christine Serlin is an editor for Affordable Housing Finance, Multifamily Executive, and Builder. She has covered the affordable housing industry since 2001. Before that, she worked at several daily newspapers, including the Contra Costa Times and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Connect with Christine at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @ChristineSerlin.

Christine Serlin