UK Research Campus Breaks Ground on Residential Village

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/14/21

On the University of Kentucky Coldstream Research Campus in Lexington, Ky., officials recently broke ground on a new residential village for the campus’ researchers and workforce. The 260-unit, multi-family complex, to be named FIFTEEN51 Apartments, is scheduled to open its doors to residents in spring 2022. Construction is expected to be fully complete by late 2022.

“At the University of Kentucky, we are strategically and thoughtfully expanding both our campus and our relationships with partners in Lexington and beyond,” said University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto. “FIFTEEN51 will create a new, workforce-friendly environment in the Lexington community. We remain focused on creating environments like this to support the research enterprise, economic opportunities and our community. The Coldstream Research Campus is a product of that effort. It’s another way we earn our way forward, partner for success and ultimately serve as the University for Kentucky.”

Indianapolis-based Cityscape Residential will serve as the facility’s ground lessee, constructing and operating the 13-acre complex.

“Cityscape was honored to be selected during the RFP process, and we are excited to be breaking ground on this landmark community within the Coldstream Research Campus,” said Brian Evans, vice president of Cityscape Residential. “As the first residential village development within the campus, FIFTEEN51 will offer a luxury housing option to help drive the high-tech trajectory of the campus. We look forward to welcoming our first residents in the spring of 2022.”

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council worked with the university in 2018 to establish a mixed-use tax increment financing district on the campus. By changing Coldstream’s zoning definition and making state and local tax incentives available, the city of Lexington has played an integral part in the campus’s project, said the university.

“The city has 250 acres open for economic development on or near Coldstream, and we are focusing on attracting high-tech companies,” said Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton. “This new residential village will make Coldstream even more attractive to these companies.” City officials anticipate that the residential village will increase the demand for space among research and development companies.

“The goal at many research parks nationwide is to create a dynamic live-work-play-innovate environment, and this residential development helps us accomplish this at Coldstream,” said George Ward, executive director of the Coldstream Research Campus. “I like to use the term ‘social infrastructure’ to describe the amenities necessary to attract young professionals and an innovative workforce. This development will activate Coldstream 24/7 and make it an even more attractive location for high-tech organizations.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • How One School Reimagined Learning Spaces—and What Others Can Learn

    When Collegedale Academy, a PreK–8 school outside Chattanooga, Tenn., needed a new elementary building, we faced the choice that many school leaders eventually confront: repair an aging facility or reimagine what learning spaces could be. Our historic elementary school held decades of memories for families, including some who had once walked its halls as children themselves. But years of wear and the need for costly repairs made it clear that investing in the old building would only patch the problems rather than solve them.

  • KI Launches K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

    Contract furniture company KI recently announced the launch of its fourth-annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway, which awards $50,000 each to four K–12 educators across the U.S., according to a news release. The goal is to address decreasing student engagement and increasing teacher burnout numbers by updating learning spaces to accommodate modern needs.

  • Tennessee State University Gains Approval for New Engineering Facility

    Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tenn., recently announced that it has received approval from the Tennessee State Building Commission to build a new engineering building on campus, according to a university news release. The 70,000-square-foot, $50-million facility will play home to the university’s engineering programs and the Applied & Industrial Technology program.

  • Colorado State University Global, SCTE Launch Online Certificate Program

    Colorado State University Global (CSU Global), based in Denver, Colo., recently announced a partnership with CableLabs subsidiary the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) to launch an online certificate training program for broadband professionals, according to a news release.