CRG Starts Student Housing Project in Madison
The project is being built on 12 parcels, formerly home to single-family homes and duplexes.
CRG has commenced construction on Chapter Mifflin, a student housing community in the Mifflin District of Madison, Wis. Situated adjacent to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the six-story community will feature 516 beds. The development is on pace to achieve a targeted delivery within the 2027-28 academic year. Pre-leasing will begin in summer of next year.
Chapter Mifflin will offer 162 fully-furnished studio, one, two-, four- and five-bedroom units. Community amenities include a fitness center, private study areas with conferencing capabilities as well as outdoor courtyards, a hot tub, bocce court and dining areas. The property will also feature outdoor terraces and a public walking path linking West Washington Avenue to West Mifflin Street.
Assembling the land
The 1.5-acre site assembled by CRG contains 12 contiguous parcels located at 416-436 W. Washington Ave. and 413-417 W. Mifflin St. that the developer had rezoned for higher-density residential. The site is currently home to a mix of single-family homes and duplexes that house students. With a similar purpose in mind, CRG intended to build one project over the entire site.
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“CRG worked with multiple land sellers to stitch together more than a dozen parcels, creating enough land area for a large-scale development,” J.J. Smith, CRG executive vice president and partner-residential, told Multi-Housing News. “In doing so, we had to carefully balance the needs of existing residents and accommodate ownership 1031 exchange requirements, all while securing approvals for the new development.
“Close communication with residents, land owners, neighbors and city staff allowed us to navigate the process smoothly and move confidently toward demolition and groundbreaking, all while preserving Madison’s rich history,” Smith said.
Architecture firm Lamar Johnson Collaborative, a subsidiary of CRG’s parent company Clayco, is designing the project.
The project is CRG’s second purpose-built student housing community in Madison, and its seventh student housing development nationwide in recent years. The firm recently partnered with Canyon Partners Real Estate and GMH Communities in securing in February a $78.5 million refinancing for The Dean Reno, a 773-bed student housing community serving University of Nevada in Reno, Nev. In June CRG and Shapack Partners acquired the site and landed construction financing for Chapter Ann Arbor, a 183-unit, 625-bed student housing project in Ann Arbor, Mich.
