Tired of the dump you’re living in now? Or tired of sharing a bathroom with a dozen other people in the school dorms? Cheney is getting new student housing that could be up your alley.
The apartment complex is called The Grove, and it’s part of a national chain of student apartments built by Campus Crest, described on the Grove’s Web site as “a progressive, Charlotte, NC based firm that was founded by a group of professionals whose vision is providing the best student housing in the industry.
Cheney’s very own Grove is currently under construction on Cheney-Spangle Road, a little less than a mile away from the Eastern Washington University campus. Construction of the Grove is scheduled to be completed by the end of August 2008, with students allowed to move in on September 15, said Brittany Heater, the Sales and Resident Life Manager for the Grove in Cheney.
There will be 192 two and three bedroom apartments and 512 bedrooms, Heater said. Two bedroom apartments will cost $470 per month per person, and three bedroom apartments will cost $435 per month per person.
The Grove also charges a non-refundable $200 community fee-in lieu of a security deposit-when the lease is signed.
“I think the thing that we are known for is being fully loaded college living, because the apartments are fully furnished and they have washers and driers in them. It provides everything students need if they’re just coming from a dorm,” Heater said.
And the Grove, according to their fliers, provides many more amenities than just that. The fliers list the following perks:
• All utilities included (up to $30 monthly for electricity)
• Full loaded premium cable package
• Parking spaces throughout
• The Spot – The Grove’s clubhouse (which includes a coffee bistro, Harvard style library and computer center, The Crest – A tavern style game room, 24-hour fitness center, Tanning booths, and private mailboxes
It may sound like a lot, but the Grove’s model is apparently one that works. According to the Grove’s Web site, there are 19 Grove complexes in 10 states and Campus Crest has plans to build 10 new complexes in 2008.
The Grove is definitely geared toward college students, but anyone will be allowed to live there.
We’d be happy to have anybody come in and live, but they should be aware that most of our tenants are going to be college students and with that comes a college student lifestyle,” said Heater.
The Grove will also have CAs-not to be confused with the CAs that patrol the dorms-that will put together events for their individual buildings.
“I like living here,” said Nicholas Fredrickson, a Central Washington University student that moved into the Grove in Ellensburg, Wash., in September of 2007. “It’s nice.”
But he’s not sure about the “feel of an actual community” that is supposed to be a Grove trademark.
“They tried to do that [build a sense of community] in the beginning, but it really didn’t take off. I think that people don’t move here for the dorm-like experience, I think that people move here because they want an apartment, they don’t want it to be like the dorms; they’re trying to get away from that.”
Ellensburg’s Grove seems to fit the standard “Grove” bill: it has fully furnished rooms with washer, drier and private bathrooms; an outdoor swimming pool; a clubhouse; an exercise room and all the other Grove features.
