Crystal clear swimming pools, billiards tables in a well appointed game room, high-speed Internet access in every bedroom and a washer and dryer in every apartment. Sound like a campaign platform for a student government candidate? These are actually the high points of the amenities offered at a new “upscale student housing” development slated to be built on Ohio State’s west campus. JPI Developers, a development and property management company based in Irving, Texas, has closed a deal to purchase the Fishel Company’s former site at 1170 Kinnear Rd.”The deal closed in early June,” said Amy Osborn, the listing agent for the property from the commercial real estate company Property One Inc. “JPI will probably be razing the existing building in the next few weeks to prepare for construction.”According to the west campus District Plan issued in 1996, the Fishel property falls into an “acquisition area” for OSU. The university didn’t buy the land but they did try. “If something is in a campus acquisition area and comes up for sale, we (OSU) are interested in buying it at fair market value,” said Anne Dorian, director of OSU’s Division of Real Estate and Property Management . But the Fishel property was appraised at less than the $1.2 million asking price. Dorian explained that if the price cannot be negotiated to the appraised value they have to let the deal go, due to strict guidelines about property acquisition.”We approached OSU about it initially,” Osborn said, “but it just didn’t work out.” She added that JPI did pay the full $1.2 million asking price. “Both the owner and the buyer felt it was a fair price and are happy with the deal,” Osborn said.JPI has developments specifically geared to students in 11 states around the country, but the Kinnear Road development will be their first in Ohio, according to JPI Vice President Derrick Turnbull. Each of the student apartment facilities the company builds and manages has amenities not often found on the campus housing scene: full size washer and dryer in all apartments, fully furnished units, swimming pools, 24-hour maintenance, a 24-hour computer center with fax machine and a copier and individualized leases for multi-person apartments.Turnbull said that the Kinnear Road project will be built on the 3.6 acre Fishel site plus an adjacent property, bringing the size of the site to about 5.5 acres.Turnbull compared the Kinnear project to other JPI student housing facilities. “In this case the complex will have a more urban flair with only two buildings and a parking garage,” Turnbull said. A multi-level parking garage will be built so that residents can park on the same level as their apartment, according to Turnbull. Don’t count on them being cheap, though. JPI’s current offerings in State College, Pa. near the Penn State University campus range from $918 per month for a two bedroom, two bathroom unit to $1,388 per month for a four bedroom, four bathroom unit. Add to that price the monthly communication fee tacked on for Internet access and the two-bedroom hits nearly $1,000 per month and the four-bedroom tops the $1,500 mark.Compare that to College Park (formerly known as Harrison House) which offers similar amenities to students. Apartments in College Park’s building on West Lane Avenue range from $389 to $675 per person, per month, according to Rod Lawson, director of marketing for College Park. Included in that price for fully furnished apartments is housekeeping service, cable TV, a fitness center, a computer lab with high-speed Internet access and a laundry facility on site. College Park also includes all utilities, including local phone service, in the price of rent.”The number one concern of our residents is closeness to campus,” Lawson said. He said that although he thinks OSU has a market for more of this type of full-service student housing, he feels that the location needs to be walking distance from campus.”We were between 99 and 100 percent full last fall quarter and we had a 40-person wait list winter quarter,” Lawson said, “but we’re right across the street from campus.”Turnbull believes that the West Campus complex will be accessible.”We’re going to try to work with the university to get on the campus bus system,” Turnbull said.Ground will be broken for the new student complex in the next few weeks, and the apartments will be open for residents beginning autumn quarter 2001.