UK Housing in agreement with Royal Lexington Apartments

By Adam Pennavaria | @KyKernel

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With an expected incoming freshman class of approximately 5,500 students in fall 2013, UK has begun to make preparations to accommodate the incredible influx of students.

Campus housing has traditionally been available, but not required, for all UK students. Most upperclassmen typically move off campus to apartments, private houses or Greek houses, but until this year, there has not been a limitation on how many upperclassmen are permitted to live on campus.

“We have adequate capacity for freshmen,” said Penny Cox, UK’s housing implementation director. “But with our freshman class growing, we have very few beds for returning students.”

In response to this need for extra space, the university has entered into a master lease agreement with Royal Lexington Apartments.

“The real reason for doing the master lease has to do with capacity,” Cox said. “We wanted to have the ability to provide continuation housing for students who are currently freshmen who will be sophomores next year.”

According to the terms of this lease, the university will pay the apartment complex for their spaces, and then will assign students to their apartments.

Special preference will be given to juniors and seniors.

Ben Crutcher, the associate vice president of auxiliary services, provided more details on the subject.

“The university executed a lease of Royal Lexington Apartments after issuing a Request for Proposals for student housing intended for upperclass students.

The lease included three-bedroom and four-bedroom apartments with 364 beds in total,” he said.

As for pricing, the apartments will be slightly more expensive per semester than on-campus housing. “The rent is $3,425 per semester compared to $3,325 for a premium suite on campus,” Crutcher said.

Students will benefit from living at Royal Lex compared with other apartment complexes next semester because Residence Life staff will be present, and so it will be managed similarly to on-campus housing.

“The same housing rules and University Code of Conduct will apply,” Crutcher elaborated. “University Office of Residence Life will have staff on the property to provide residents various programs. They (Royal Lex management) are very supportive of having their faculty full of university students.”

Parking is not expected to be an issue, as the apartment complex will provide parking spaces for residents, as well as an optional meal plan.

“We have many students who have notified us that they would like to live in Royal Lex. We still have room for additional applications. Interested students should notify the Housing Assignment Office in Funkhouser,” Crutcher said.

The lease period will begin on Aug. 1, 2013 and end on June 30, 2014, with the availability of four-year extension options.