Corvias to Develop Student Apartments for Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine

By Keith Loria, Contributing Writer

Dothan, Ala.—Corvias Campus Living, the new student housing division of Corvias Group, will build and manage three 30,864-square-foot residential apartment buildings for the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“We thought it was a great opportunity to partner with ACOM and help it be successful,” Kurt Ehlers, Corvias Campus Living’s managing director, tells MHN. “It aligned perfectly with what we do best—delivering the highest quality solutions to unique housing challenges, allowing the college to be able to focus on its mission of offering the highest quality academic programs for its students.”

Although Corvias has been responsible for Army housing at Fort Rucker in Alabama since April 2006, building nearly 800 new homes, renovating 550 and building three 7,200-square-foot, state-of-the-art neighborhood centers, this is the company’s first student housing project.

“Since the company was founded, we have developed a business model around partnerships. As we defined that model and improved it over the last 12 years, we realized we had the ability to reach out into other segments,” Ehlers says. “We spent some time looking at where we could have a real meaningful impact, like we’ve done with the military, where we can enhance recruitment and retention and improve the quality of life and the student housing market aligned perfectly with what our approach has been in the past.”

Phase one of the project will consist of 117 bedrooms and a 3,000-square-foot clubhouse. The on-campus student residences will open in July 2013 to welcome ACOM’s inaugural class of 150 students.

“We will offer individual apartments in two styles; one-bedrooms of 900 square feet and two-bedrooms of 1,200 square feet, each with a private bathroom and fully-equipped kitchen,” Ehlers says. “They were designed geared towards the student attending medical school. The overall goal is to create a sense of community and connectivity to the school.”

Students will also have access to a brand new clubhouse designed with a state-of-the-art fitness and cardio facility, as well as an open communal kitchen. In addition, there will be private, collaborative spaces available for students to study or socialize. Outside amenities include a swimming pool, basketball court, communal garden and a playground for families.

“We designed many of our amenities to align with the school’s mission to focus on wellness and a healthy lifestyle,” Ehlers says. “It’s a very vibrant and up-and-coming area with lots of stores, banks and restaurants all within a few minutes from campus.”

Corvias Campus Living, through a long-term, sustainable development partnership, will be responsible for all construction and property management services, which will allow the college to focus on its ongoing plan to strengthen its academic offerings and pursue its mission to address the critical need for primary care physicians to serve the rural and medically underserved areas of Alabama and the surrounding region.