Acadiana Business

Renovations complete for University Place Apts.

by Patrick Flanagan

After years of neglect, University Place Apartments will enter the fall semester a top contender for off-campus housing for UL students thanks to new ownership and a recently completed multi-million dollar renovation.

After years of neglect, University Place Apartments will enter the fall semester a top contender for off-campus housing for UL students thanks to new ownership and a recently completed multi-million dollar renovation.

Located off East Lewis Street, UPA has been around for decades, but until recently suffered from a lack of attention by its previous owners, says Melissa DiGianfilippo, who handles public relations for the site's new owners, Realco Capital.

Realco purchased UPA about two years ago from Lafayette real estate developer Glenn Stewart, and DiGianfilippo says the New York-based company didn't waste any time, immediately getting the multi-million dollar renovation process under way, including the addition of a 3,000-square-foot clubhouse with a fitness center, game room, media lab and an outdoor swimming pool.

Inside the recently completed clubhouse at UPA.

Though DiGianfilippo couldn't disclose the dollar amount of the renovations, she did say all 192 of UPA's apartments were included in the overhaul, each receiving new roofs and updates to the kitchens, floors, bathrooms, appliances, fixtures and new HVAC systems.

"Students will be amazed at the changes that have made University Place look and feel modernized and fresh," says Jare Heuer of Realco. "Being able to walk to class, rather than drive, not only saves our residents money, but it is also truly a luxury that allows them to spend more time doing what they want instead of commuting to campus. We are also proud to be the only off-campus housing with a direct intranet connection to the University through our partnership with LUS Fiber, which gives our residents lightning fast Internet speed."