More student apartments planned off Dickson Street

A conceptual rendering shows what a planned student apartment complex will look like from the northwest corner of St. Charles Avenue and Watson Street.

Rael / Hight Jackson / Rosemann

Another student apartment complex is in the works for Fayetteville in the Dickson Street area.

Plans for a five-story, 152-unit complex from California developers Rael Development Corporation were reviewed Wednesday morning during the city’s Technical Plat Review meeting.

The complex is set to be built on .98 acres currently occupied by four houses behind Collier Drug Store at St. Charles Avenue and Watson Street.

Because of the size of the land, the project is not considered a large-scale development, meaning it does not require Planning Commission approval before construction can begin. The proposal was tabled Wednesday to allow the developer time to provide additional materials requested by city staff.

This map shows the location of the planned complex off Dickson Street.

Staff graphic

Lawrence Rael of Rael Development confirmed last month that the company had a project in the works in Fayetteville, but could not offer additional information about the complex.

Plans obtained from city staff and from Rael’s website indicate the complex will include 233 student housing bedrooms with a lower-level parking garage entrance on Watson Street. Rogers-based Hight Jackson Associates and Kansas City’s Rosemann & Associates are listed as the architects for the project.

According to the company’s website, Rael Development is a 35-year-old real estate group that has invested in over 1 million square feet of commercial and industrial projects, including 1,000 beds of multifamily and student housing.

With the University of Arkansas recording a 53 percent increase in enrollment in the last decade, Fayetteville has seen a major growth spurt in student housing lately.

Four rent-by-the-bedroom student complexes – The Domain, Sterling Frisco, The Vue and The Cardinal at West Center – are all open or under construction, and a fifth called Eco Downtown is in the final stages of planning. The Grove, a 232-unit, 632-bed complex opened last fall.

Once complete, the seven projects will have added 1,304 units with over 3,700 beds to Fayetteville’s apartment complex community.

Architect’s renderings