Ruby Group to Build Townhouse-Style Student Housing

Goshen, N.Y.–The Ruby Group will build modern, townhouse-style student residences in a public-private venture at Sullivan County Community College in Fallsburg, N.Y.

The EcoGreen Community Housing will meet or exceed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Energy Star and National Green Building Standards for energy efficiency and environmental sensitivity. The residences will house up to 48 students and will be ready for occupancy during August – in time for the 2010-2011 academic year.

“Student housing is tremendously underserved across the nation in terms of quality and quantity,” says Ruby Group CEO Pete Berman. “The need for student housing presents a great opportunity for The Ruby Group to form partnerships with public and private colleges and universities wishing to expand and improve their student housing. We’ve been residential and commercial builders for decades and have the skills needed to design, finance and build new residences for students.”

The new townhouses will resemble traditional New England homes, with porches, pitched roofs and exterior walls with clapboard siding and shingles. Storage space is available in the basement. The building is expected to cost about $1.5 million to design and build. The Ruby Group is responsible for arranging financing and will lease the land required from the college. The housing will be managed by Longley Jones, the Syracuse.  N.Y. company that manages SCCC Dormitory Corp.’s existing dorms.

The municipal planning and approval process only took 90 days – an extremely quick approval for a project in New York State. Berman credited the fast approvals to outreach and research that was done before starting to draft plans or approach local officials.