BLOOMINGTON – A ground lease that will create on-campus university-affiliated apartment housing in Bloomington was approved by the Indiana University Board of Trustees at its August meeting in Bloomington.
IU has begun prioritizing rentals of IU-owned houses on or near campus for graduate students. Those students will also be prioritized for the new university-affiliated apartment housing.
BPIU Partners LLC will design, construct, and finance a six-story, 158-unit housing project of about 193,000 gross square feet at the site of the former Poplars building along East Seventh Street in Bloomington.
This university-affiliated apartment housing will be operated and maintained by Buckingham Management LLC, an affiliate of BPIU Partners. The facility is anticipated to open for the 2026-27 academic year.
Unit rental will be prioritized for IU graduate students, who were the primary occupants of on-campus facilities that were retired after having exceeded their useful life. These retired facilities include Banta, Bicknell, Hepburn, Nutt, and Evermann apartments, which were demolished in 2020 and 2022, along with Redbud North and East apartments, which are scheduled for removal in 2024.
This solution is a result of the university’s dedication to providing sufficient housing to graduate students and other members of the IU community. A coordinated effort has been made to overcome and address the challenges associated with construction and housing in the current economy.
Following IU graduate students, rental priority in the new facility will be assigned to IU faculty, staff, employees, undergraduate students, and affiliates such as visiting scholars. The housing project will provide 394 beds and include furnished studios and one, two, three, and four-bedroom apartments; lounge, study, and fitness areas; and a leasing office.
The university has also begun prioritizing rentals of IU-owned houses on and near campus for graduate students, totaling about 350 beds. Graduate students will continue to receive priority for this rental housing as well.
Information: Captial Planning & facilities Beth Feickert, News at IU.
