A few months ago, the Mexican restaurant Piñatas in Uptown was buzzing with students drinking margaritas and eating quesadillas. However, at the beginning of April, plans were announced to demolish and remodel the property to increase the number of upperclassmen housing options. After eight months, the housing project is well under way and the apartments will be open next year.

This construction project is led by Russell Berusch, former vice president of Commercial Development at Case Western Reserve University, and Alexis Boothe of Berusch Development Partners, LLC, a real estate development and advisory firm. Berusch previously participated in the development of Uptown in 2012.

According to Nicole Sommers, the marketing manager for the Euclid 116 Apartments, the off-campus housing will be on par with, if not better than, the on-campus housing: the new apartments include granite countertops, plank flooring, in-suite washers and dryers, cabinetries and other utilities, some of which are not provided by on-campus housing.

These apartments are also furnished to promote social interactions. Sommers said, “We are aware of the community togetherness and social elements that come with living in a dorm setting. A lot of students love that, and we have taken that to another level and created that setting in an off-campus housing project with upgraded finishes.”

According to Sommers, the cost to rent these apartments will range from $925 to approximately $1,299 monthly, and students can choose from renting a one-bedroom apartment or sharing a two- or four-bedroom suite.

These prices allow the Euclid 116 Apartments to compete against the other on-campus housing options in Uptown. For example, the average housing rate for Triangle Apartments is $5,454 per semester, approximately $1,300 per month. The relatively less expensive Property Management Apartments in the Uptown area have an average price of $1,233 per month, although these apartments are also older than the new construction project.

The Euclid 116 Apartments will not be ready for move-in until August 2017.  Starting Nov. 14, visitors can tour a model suite and gain an idea of what it is actually like to live there. The developers will also be hosting an open house week for prospective tenants from Nov. 14 to 19.