Student housing is coming to Midtown Harrisburg, as HACC and GreenWorks Development announced last month that they will build as many as 43 townhome-style buildings.
Construction is expected to start right away on the first phrase, a nearly $1 million project for seven townhomes that will be ready to house 26 students by Aug. 1. The buildings, on N. 4th Street between Harris and Hamilton streets, each will have three or four bedrooms.
“We are pleased to announce this partnership that will provide housing adjacent to our Midtown Site,” said HACC President John J. “Ski” Sygielski. “Our students already are part of the community, and having access to residential housing will allow them to become neighbors, as well.”
Currently, there is no student housing at HACC. Sygielski said that the residences might attract students from the main Wildwood campus, as well as from the Midtown campus.
Each townhome provides private bedrooms, two bathrooms, a washer and dryer, a full kitchen, furnishings and on-site parking. Each student will pay $600 per month in rent, which includes utilities and cable television.
The area was once part of the Capitol Heights project, a sprawling redevelopment of numerous city blocks in Midtown. Two years ago, GreenWorks acquired dozens of parcels that had not yet been developed.
GreenWorks will own, operate and manage the student housing in accordance with an exclusive marketing agreement with HACC.
Thirty-six additional townhomes are approved for the project to meet future demand for student housing, said GreenWorks Chairman Doug Neidich. When the project is complete, as many as 400 students could eventually live in the buildings.
If student demand is weak, the houses could be turned into private residences, Neidich said.
Interested students can find information about the newly named Midtown Campus Village and apply for student housing at www.midtowncampusvillage.com.
“This project is another investment as part of our long-term commitment to fundamentally improve Midtown Harrisburg,” said Neidich. “Adding resident students to Midtown Harrisburg will create new vitality to the area’s already blossoming retail and entertainment corridor.”
