Southern purchases four apartment buildings for student housing

Matthew Orquia

News Editor

Southern Adventist University has purchased four apartment buildings to use as additional student housing and plans to have them ready for the 2023 Fall semester, according to Marty Hamilton, senior vice president for Financial Administration.

The apartments are located at 10025 Laumere Court, about half a mile from Southern’s campus off of University Drive.

The four buildings can house 24 students total, and each building has two apartments with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, according to Hamilton. Apartments have a shared kitchen and washer and dryer. The buildings, built in 2016, cost about $1.4 million total, according to Hamilton. He said the proximity of the apartments to Southern was one of the main reasons why the university decided to purchase the space.

“Our big thing is we don't typically find things around us that are close enough proximity to help our students,” Hamilton said. “ … So those are constant challenges.”

Hamilton added that he met the previous owner of the apartment buildings by chance and at just the right time, as Southern is working to expand its student housing options. As enrollment at Southern has increased, there has been pressure to add more housing, according to a previous Accent article.

“Finding these apartments, even though it's only 24 students … I mean, it's kind of a win,” Hamilton said.

Alana Crosby contributed to this article.