University Village Apartments is seeking to attract student renters with renovated apartments, improved transportation and planned social events.
“University Village provides a great location, nice apartments, luxury complex amenities and also a fun college life environment,” said Nick Hamulak, social events director at University Village Apartments. All of the kitchens have been remodeled and new carpeting has been put in all the apartments, he said.
Hamulak said some students are reluctant to leave the immediate campus area because of its proximity to where they need to be, but with University Village’s busing system, classes and university facilities are a short ride away.
“We have brand-new private shuttle buses with leather reclining seats that go to campus every half hour,” Hamulak said. Shuttles run every 15 minutes during the busiest hours of the morning.
Jeff Tanner, a senior in English literature, owns a car but likes the convenience of the shuttle.
“The buses are nice,” said Tanner. “It saves wear and tear on my car and saves me money in gas.”
Lance Fox, a senior in turf management, who has lived at University Village since fall 2003, also enjoys the short commute to classes.
“I lived in Dublin before moving here. It took me 20-25 minutes to get to campus; now, it’s like three minutes,” he said.
Residents of University Village have easy access to both shopping and entertainment. Two bars, restaurants, Kroger and other shopping facilities are within walking distance of the apartments.
Social events are held either at the complex or other locations around the area such as Long Street for Mardi Gras. Busing is provided with no additional cost.
The latest event was a party at Nyoh’s, 2871 Olentangy River Rd. Residents were admitted for free and received free pizza and beer. Other activities include pool parties, live bands and football tailgating.
“This is a great place to meet people. We have 3,500 people living here, and we hold at least one free social event a month,” Hamulak said.
The park-style apartment complex, littered with picnic tables and grills, also boasts a swimming pool and volleyball courts. A fitness room, free tanning and a computer lab are also provided.
“My computer crashed one time, and it was out for a week,” Fox said. “It’s nice having the computers nearby and not having to go down to campus every time I need to use one.”
University Village, 505 Harley Drive, rents one-, two- and three-bedroom studio apartments. Prices range from $350 to $620 per month. A monthly utility payment of $32 to $69 covers gas, water, sewer and trash costs. Residents must pay for their electricity, phone and cable.
University Village also provides security guards who patrol the grounds at random intervals and 27 buildings with coin-operated laundry facilities and free parking. Future plans include adding a residents’ club house and updates to the fitness room, Hamulak said. Pets are not allowed.
All floor plans are still available for summer and fall, but studio space is limited. During spring quarter, a mobile leasing bus will be making stops to popular campus locations, such as Catfish Biff’s and McDonalds. A table in the Ohio Union will be manned from 2 to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays to provide interested students with additional information.
