The Times Dispatch ran this story today:

Private housing for VCU going up east of Belvidere

Excerpts:

Gilbane Development Co. of Providence, R.I., said its 540-bed, eight-story apartment building off Canal Street should be ready for the start of the 2011 school year.

“We’ll start leasing over the next month,” said Russell Broderick, vice president and senior development manager for Gilbane. “Students will move in in August 2011.”

The $18 million building, designed by Grant Architects of Baltimore, includes 160 apartment units on six levels, and parking on two levels.

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Rents will be in the range of $600 to $700 per person, Broderick said. The units will be furnished.

“We’re excited to offer students a modern environment including amenities which appeal to today’s lifestyle, including flat-screen televisions, in-unit washer/dryers, and full kitchens,” Robert V. Gilbane, chairman and CEO of Gilbane Development, said in a statement.

Campus Advantage will offer students activities designed to create a thriving student community.

The green project was designed in accordance with the LEED — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — accreditation system, the development company said.

The project — called 8½ Canal Street — broke ground in early spring.

With 32,000 students, but only 4,882 spaces for students in university housing, VCU believes demand is sufficient to fill both its own residence halls and privately developed projects…