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Complex Offers Students Resort Style Living

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By KENNETH KNIGHT

kknight@tampatrib.com

Published: March 18, 2009

NORTH TAMPA - An apartment complex offering all-inclusive amenities and island-style cottages on a lake is the latest development to dive into the luxury student housing market near the University of South Florida campus.

The Province, a 254-unit complex under construction on two sites just south of campus, is scheduled to be completed for the fall semester.

The sprawling development at 10811 and 10921 N. McKinley Drive is adjacent to Sypris Electronics.

The Province is being built and managed by Edwards Student Housing Management Co., a subsidiary of Edwards Communities of Columbus, Ohio.

The development will have furnished one-, three- and four-bedroom apartments on landscaped grounds as well as two- and three-bedroom Key West-style cottages on stilts on a lake near the community clubhouse.

The scenic accommodations are a draw, but Province's leasing director, Shelly Espy, said the greatest appeal appears to be the amenities.

"The rent, furniture, utilities, cable, Internet and the use of all facilities are included for one low, low price," Espy said.

From a 600-square-foot, one-bedroom unit, which rents for $800 a month, to a 1,560-square-foot, four-bedroom apartment, which leases for $560 per month per person, the Province has accommodations to fit each student's lifestyle, she said.

The two- and three-bedroom cottages and apartments range from $575 to $775 a month.

Espy said tenants will pay an additional $10 for third-floor units and apartments and cottages at the north site, where the clubhouse is located.

Each bedroom will have a bathroom, balcony and be equipped with cable TV hookup, Internet access and a panic button. The common areas in each unit will be decked out with leather furniture in the living room, a full-size kitchen and full-size washer and dryer.

The 947-bed apartment complex will cater to undergraduates, with the exception of freshmen, as well as students studying for master's and doctorates. Freshmen at USF will be required to live on campus starting this fall.

About 40 percent of the complex has been pre-leased, Espy said. The first completed units should open in May.

The Province is entering a student housing market with the established residential developments such as The Lodge at Lake Crest, the luxury apartment complex across the street with a year's head start. Other nearby apartment complexes built within the past five years - College Court Apartments on 56th Street, Monticello on 42nd Street and Avalon Heights Apartment Suites on Avalon Heights Boulevard, to name a few - are also drawing from the same pool of students.

Espy said The Province plans to carve out its niche by marketing its resort-style living environment, top-notch services and a state-of-the-art clubhouse. The community's proximity to Busch Gardens is also a plus.

Leasing manager Rio Porter said the 12 USF students on staff will help fill the apartments. "They are our best word of mouth," she said.

Tenants also don't have to worry about finding a roommate. The Edwards staff will match tenants based on their responses to a resident profile questionnaire.

"We try to get them carefully matched as we can," Espy said.

With slick promotional material featuring photographs of happy, attractive young people and an in-house sales team to match, the Province is selling a lifestyle based on fun.

Today's students demand luxury accommodations, Espy said. They want the comforts of home combined with a recreational and leisure lifestyle you would find at a resort.

Extensive amenities such as two resort-style swimming pools, outdoor exercise stations, sand volleyball courts and a 7,400-square-foot clubhouse decked out with a 17-seat theater, two gaming rooms, computer labs, tanning beds, a fitness center and spa are major selling points.

The Province marks Edwards' debut to Tampa's college-housing market. The Ohio builder is well-established in the Midwest, where it has developed a string of luxury multifamily apartments and student-housing developments.

In addition to Tampa, Edwards is developing on-campus housing at the University of Louisville in Kentucky and an off-campus residential development near Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

Reporter Kenneth Knight can be reached at (813) 865-4842.

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