On Tuesday morning, industry leaders from Carter Realty, Campus Advantage and local community planners officially broke ground on Highland Square student housing just on Molly Barr Road.
The project, which began construction last month, is expected to add over 600 bed spaces, in addition to the 155 students already living in the area. When all the construction is complete, nearly 100 buildings will have been added to the community.
“When we originally conceived this project, we wanted to do something that would not only raise the bar for student living here in Oxford, but would actually set a new height for student living across the country,” Andy Feinour, senior vice president of Carter, said.
Feinour said that the community will have multiple living opportunities, ranging from flats and town homes to cottages that will be set up around different courtyards. The living options will have from two to six bedrooms.
Judd Bobilin, president of Chance Partners, shared Feinour’s enthusiasm.
"This will be the premier student housing project in the country, there’s no doubt in my mind,” Bobilin said. “It will be one that I think people will come to and try to recreate (in) other markets.”
In addition to the housing construction, there will be a car wash/dog wash, basketball and volleyball courts, a dog park, a fitness trail, a stage and three separate swimming pools throughout the community.
Highland Square will also have a town center with spaces for businesses to set up shop.
Right now there is no certainty regarding which businesses will be in the town center, but project leaders are discussing with brokers and looking at the market.
“What we’re talking about doing with the town center is (having) a clubhouse, a coffee shop, some retail,” David Nelson, vice president of Carter, said. “Then we have the fitness center and the business center with flats above. It will feel very much like an extension of the Oxford Square.”
Many students who live off campus live on Old Taylor Road or Anderson Road, and Nelson said the congestion on those roads was one of the reasons they chose to build on Molly Barr instead.
Oxford University Transit buses will be able to enter through one of the new entrances that lead into the town center to pick up and drop off students.
Highland Square is currently taking applications for anyone interested in signing a lease.
For more information, visit the Highland Square page on Facebook or call 662-550-2020.
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