PROJECT OF THE YEAR: NICHE
Olive Drive Student Housing, Lexington Apartments
Students at this five-star community won’t miss the comforts of home. The project team thought of every last detail, from private bathrooms in each bedroom and spaces for small refrigerators to abundant green space for a game of Frisbee.
“We have created a place that is supportive of all of the students’ needs,” says David Mogavero, president of Sacramento, Calif.-based Mogavero, Notestine Associates, the project’s architect. “And the students seem to get it, because while there are some vacancies in some of the other new properties in town, this one has none.”
Located only a few blocks from the University of California, Davis, Olive Drive Student Housing, Lexington Apartments, meets a huge need for student housing. “We wanted to get as many units as possible,” Mogavero says. Hidden tuck-under parking with ground-floor flats and two-story townhomes above optimizes the space, allowing for 122 units.
Olive Drive is more than just a series of 27 buildings, though–it’s a community. After all, a student’s home is the focal point of social activities, says Mogavero. The site offers a small neighborhood market, shaded sidewalks, a series of courtyards, and balconies or patios on all units.
The property’s hidden parking lots play a big role in creating a pedestrian-oriented campus, says Renner Johnston, the architectural firm’s senior associate. “It’s much more about pedestrians, front doors, sidewalks, and landscapes rather than parking lots, which we so often see at apartment complexes,” he says.
And the community’s designers kept students’ safety in mind. Unlike many multifamily buildings, this complex does not have a back side. Balconies or entries are located on all four sides of the buildings to create “eyes on the street” at all times.
As long-term owners of the property, developer Hallmark Properties, based in Davis, Calif., invested in green building techniques to save on future costs. The community building features solar panels, while overhangs and trellises provide site shading. Other green features include low-water irrigation systems, edible landscaping with fruit trees, electric vehicle charging stations, and more than 400 bicycle parking spots.
–R. Azoff
Olive Drive Student Housing, Lexington Apartments
Location: Davis, Calif.; Builder: Brown Construction Inc.
Architect: Mogavero, Notestine Associates; Opened: September 2003; Units: 122; Unit Mix: Two-, three-, and four-bedrooms; Rent: $1,385 to $2,420; Cool Stuff: Edible landscaping, electric vehicle charging stations, 400 bike parking spots, and a small market