College students in Syracuse will have a unique new housing option allowing them to live in downtown Syracuse starting in July 2014. Syracuse Creekwalk Commons will turn a now vacant downtown building into apartments housing up to 146 students. The $17 million development project will create 69 apartments along with 8,000 square feet of retail space in the former E.M. O’Donnell  building, located at 324 W. Water Street

The new apartments will be located at the corner of Water and Franklin Streets, adjacent to both Clinton and Armory Squares. The building fronts the Creekwalk, a popular downtown amenity and is also located on the Connective Corridor, allowing an easy connection to the University Hill area.

Creekwalk Commons’ front door will sit just 500 feet from the Syracuse University Warehouse building, which is home to SU’s Department of Design of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. The location features easy access to the Connective Corridor shuttle to SU’s main campus.

Apartments will be available to both undergraduate and graduate students. While it is anticipated that many residents are likely to be students at Syracuse University, Creekwalk Commons will also be open to students taking classes at other colleges and universities in the area. SUNY Oswego provides classes within two blocks of this location. The St. Joseph’s College of Nursing is also nearby.

“We are excited to bring student housing into downtown Syracuse and offer area college students the opportunity to live in the heart of our community, said James Breuer, managing partner of EMO Property, LLC. “Our goal is to have this experience be something that will help attract students to stay after graduation and add to the growth and vitality of downtown Syracuse.”

Demand for student housing currently outpaces the supply at many local colleges and universities. This project helps colleges meet this demand for undergraduate and graduate students, while betterengaging the students with their counterparts at other institutions and with the Central New York community.

“Downtown Syracuse continues its resurgence, with tangible signs of progress throughout the city center,” said Robert M. Simpson, president of CenterState CEO. “The addition of student housingwill only add to the vibrancy being created by the ongoing development of residential, retail andcommercial spaces that are reinventing Downtown Syracuse into a 24-hour neighborhood.”

Construction of Creekwalk Commons will be carried out by Syracuse Creekwalk Commons, Inc, a single-purpose, not-for-profit corporation. This project follows a successful model that has beenutilized for new student housing in other markets and, recently, in Syracuse to develop Geneva Tower for SUNY Upstate Medical University.

Construction is on track to start this July, with a scheduled opening in July 2014. Students will be able to lease 1 or 2 bedroom apartments for either 10, 12 months or even 2 summer months depending on their academic schedules.

The building design and management is being undertaken to incorporate best practices in safety and security programs. A goal of the facility and its programming is to enrich the student experience while providing a greater sense of living in an urban environment.

Creekwalk Commons student apartments will be fully furnished. In addition to laundry facilities and a fitness center, there will be lounges and gathering spaces on each floor for student interaction. Individual study rooms, a theater, and exhibit spaces are being designed to provide students with areas to display their projects. An indoor bicycle storage room is provided in addition to some indoor parking. The building is directly connected via enclosed bridge to the Washington Street Parking garage.

An experienced team of CNY professionals are providing services to implement the project;

• Financing: M&T Bank Investment Banking Group
• Architects: Dal Pos Architects, Syracuse
• Property Management: The Sutton Companies, Syracuse
• Construction Manager: Hueber-Breuer Const. Co, Syracuse Environmental Site Assessment: Beardsley
• Design Associates, DeWitt Environmental Survey: Asbestos & Environmental Consulting Co, East
• Syracuse Survey: Phillips and Associates, Surveyors PC, Liverpool
• Legal Counsels: Bousquet Holstein PLLC, Syracuse; Hancock Estabrook, LLP, Syracuse; Harris
• Beach PLLC, Syracuse.

About Creekwalk Commons: Syracuse Creekwalk Commons, Inc, (SCC) is a not-for-profit charitable organization formed to secure and implement the conversion of 324 W. Water Street, in Syracuse, to provide downtown student housing for up to 146 residents. SCC aims to encourage greater student interaction with the Syracuse community while adding to downtown’s growth and vitality.