Asset Plus Companies took a different stance on student housing when it developed The Lofts at Wolf Pen Creek in College Station, Texas. The project, which incorporates 253 stacked flats and 11 townhomes, also contains retail space and a clubhouse, making it mixed-use in nature.

“We have watched College Station and Texas A&M grow over the years and we wanted to do something different in the market,” says Barrett Kirk, senior vice president, acquisitions and development, of Houston-based Asset Plus. “We felt that the market was ready for something that has been done in other markets around the country, not necessarily on the student housing side, but on the multifamily side. The mixed-use concept has done very well in cities and attracts a younger crowd.”

Asset Plus is especially please with the location in the Wolf Pen Creek corridor, a special use district within the city of College Station. The district has certain architecture barriers and use restrictions. It also has benefits; it is located next to an amphitheatre and the Wolf Pen Creek trail system, both popular attractions. It is also within 1.5 miles of the Texas A&M campus. The site itself lingered for years while various development plans floated through city government. Asset Plus worked with the city to create an ideal plan, while maximizing the project’s density on the land.

“We let the site dictate what we could do with it,” says Kirk. “This corner was an amazing corner to have this mixed-use project.”

Asset Plus brought Houston-based Meeks + Partners to design The Lofts at Wolf Pen creek.
“The location gave us a fantastic architectural opportunity, especially when you add the mixed-use elements,” says Keith Malone, associate partner with Meeks + Partners. “We can use the mixed-use element to connect the student community with the larger community of College Station.”

Meeks + Partners first began by locating the retail within the project, then locating the student amenities, then the tenant spaces. A 13,840-square-foot clubhouse – a very attractive amenity to tenants – was a must-have for Asset Plus. The clubhouse includes a two-story gym, tanning beds, a game room, a movie theatre, a sauna and a business center round out more amenities in the clubhouse. The project also is one of the few in the market that has secured, private parking. Security played a major role in the design of the project because of the sense of safety it gives residents and their parents.

“With students you want the wow factor,” says Kirk.”We believe that all these amenities give the wow factor on the leasing side, but also help renewals. We have two private student rooms in our business center. Every time I walk in, the place is packed.”


The lofts are also laden with attractive features. Each has 10-foot ceilings, exposed ductwork and hardwood floors. Six of the units are extra large, and as an additional amenity – and to create buzz around campus – they each come with a billiards table. All six units leased on the first day of availability.

“We try to take into account that a lot of these students are leaving home for the first time,” says Mark Lindley, senior vice president, construction division, of Asset Plus. “We want to invite them to stay with us, but feel comfortable in doing so. We want the parents to understand that too.”

Meeks + Partners placed as many loft units on the site that it could handle from a parking and living environment perspective. Asset Plus did not make the project as dense as possible, because it felt that it could compromised student life at the project.

“We kept in mind that we wanted to create some interior courtyards for private student amenity space,” says Malone. “The design itself is really an urban solution. It fit in perfectly with the city of College Station’s vision for this site.”

“We create a lot of pedestrian activity to this corner,” says Lindley. “We worked with a landscape architect to create a large plaza with fountains, outdoor tables and seating in front of the retail space. We also piped in music. This draws not only our residents, but the thousands of students that live within a half-mile radius of the project.”

Asset Plus manages three other projects in College Station, and has developed the Cambridge at College Station, a dormitory-style project, in the market.

“With student housing, you have to have a good location, the right product type and a good management company,” says Kirk. “Trying to find a good site in today’s world can be difficult. If you want to do a traditional garden style deal spread over 13 to 20 acres, you have to go further away from campus. Today’s market is doing just the opposite. You want to be as close to campus as possible.”

Source: January/February 2010 Student Housing Business
- Randall Shearin