Wayne State completes $151M student housing development

Wayne State University (WSU) used to be known as a commuter school. That impression may be changing as more and more students look to live in Detroit.

To meet the new demand, WSU recently completed a new 406,800 square-foot, 841-bed facility for student housing. At $151 million, the Anthony Wayne Drive Apartments are easily the most expensive residences at WSU.

The apartments consist of three towers on Anthony Wayne Drive. The 11-story, 400-bed tower was completed in August last year. Students moved into the six- and eight-story towers on either side of the taller building this fall.

Rates range from $4,692 per semester for a four-bedroom flat with one bathroom to $5,953 for a studio with a private bath.

The buildings will also house 17,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and the 9,000-square-foot Campus Health Center. According to a release, current retail tenants include 1000 Degrees Pizza, Uncle Joe’s Chicken Fingers, Beyond Juice, Tubby’s Sub Shop, Just Baked Cupcakes, Leo’s Coney Island, and a 7-Eleven.

According to Crain’s Detroit Business, of the 26,844 students enrolled at WSU, 3,200 live on campus. That number should climb to 3,750 next fall when the Chatsworth Residence Hall completes its renovation.

Adding beds is clearly a priority for WSU. As part of its master planning process, the university explored ways to build more housing, identifying several potential points on Cass Avenue and even building a deck across I-94.