“We are halfway up on the parking structure, retail and leasing offices. So far we have laid the slabs for the apartments, so the foundation is up. We are scheduled to start wood framing as quickly as Dec. 12,” said Long.

The development is being managed by Inland American Communities Group Inc., which was formed in 2007 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Sid Thulin, senior project manager for the construction company Western National Constructors, is happy with the progress.

“It’s going great so far, we are set to be done spring/summer of 2013. Currently we have up to four floors out of seven for the garage and the foundation for the apartments. Fullerton has cooperated well with us. They come in for inspections on things like steel, concrete, bolt placement every day. Everything we do has to get inspected,” Thulin said.

The housing plans include 358,000 square feet of residential space consisting of 350 apartment units and 1,189 beds spread out over a four-story building complete with balconies and a seven-story wrapped garage with more than 1,400 parking spaces. The main level will feature retail, dining and entertainment, according the site UniversityHouse.com. The new housing will be open for students to reside in fall 2013.

The leasing office center and the retail space will be located along Commonwealth Avenue and partially down Chapman. There will be about 125 parking spaces providing easy access to restaurant customers and shoppers.

“We start the dry-wall process by May 12, 2012. At that point we will also be working on street improvements on Chapman Avenue. So far it has gone really well. The city of Fullerton is very accommodating and the weather has helped us stay on track. We haven’t had any extreme weather and hopefully won’t,” Long said.

Students from CSUF and surrounding schools like Hope International University, Western State University of Law and Southern California College of Optometry are possible future leaseholders as part of a unified college community that will be called College Town. The entire project, which would require major changes to Nutwood and Commonwealth Avenues, is still awaiting approval by the Fullerton City Council. Fati Shaheen, a Western State alumna and current Fullerton resident, views the concept as a positive addition to the college experience.

“I like the idea of making this more of a community. All the schools around here are commuter campuses, so we don’t get the same experience as someone who goes to UCLA or USC. Having a college town can enhance the experience and connect the students better with each other and the community,” said Shaheen.

The building is expected to be up by Christmas 2012 and pre-leasing begins February of 2013. Students can move in starting that fall.

“We are thrilled to create a one-of-a-kind housing community one block south of CSUF. This project is ideally located, bringing much needed off-campus residential housing and 30,000
square feet of main street retail space to serve the university’s 35,000 students,” said John Allums, executive vice president of Inland American Communities, according to Business Wire.