Gilbane JV to Develop 3 Student Housing Properties

Gilbane, in a public-private partnership with The University of Rhode Island, will develop two on-campus student housing communities and reconstruct a third. The companies reached the financial close of the partnership.

Plans call for the modernization of on-campus housing at the university’s campus in Kingston, R.I. The initiative comes as URI experiences record admissions and growing demand for on-campus housing, reflecting strong student housing market demand.

Gilbane will start construction on the two new projects later this month, with the first residence hall set to open in the fall of 2027 at the earliest, the other opening in August 2028. Partners on the project also include CannonDesign.

The new developments will total 914 beds. The communities will come online on Flagg Road, on the northwestern side of the campus, and will comprise 134 and 105 units with two- and four-bedroom floorplans.

Common-area amenities are set to include study spaces and common areas, wellness rooms, a cafe and an outdoor courtyard space, aligning with student housing development trends that emphasize modernization and community-focused design.

Dubbed Graduate Village, the community that will be reconstructed will increase its capacity to 200 students and is set to open before the 2028 academic year. The project is set to have studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts, with amenities consisting of a community garden and community center.

The construction start on this new housing project aligns with the extensive renovation of the University’s Fine Arts Center and major upgrades at the Narragansett Bay campus, which also include building a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory.

Gilbane extends student housing portfolio

Gilbane Development Co.’s student housing portfolio comprises north of 24,000 beds both developed and underway. The company serves more than 30 university markets.

In the first quarter, a joint venture between Gilbane Development and CBRE Investment Management obtained financing for the development of Zaya, a 702-bed student housing community in Gainesville, Fla. The project is part of the duo’s six student housing properties involved in the formation of the joint venture.

The firm is also working on Pique, a 485-bed student property in Berkeley, Calif. It broke ground on the project at the end of last year and expects to complete it in time for the 2026 academic year.