WSU apartments open to rent. But not just anyone can live there

The new apartment complex opening this summer on the WSU Tri-Cities campus will be open for students and university professionals, according to the developer.

The news may come as a disappointment to would-be renters struggling to find housing in the Tri-Cities, where the apartment vacancy rate dipped to 1.8 percent this spring.

Corporate Pointe Developers, the Pullman-based student housing company developing Breselford Vineyards, emphasized that its goal is to offer housing to students and university-related professionals on campus while complying with state and federal housing regulations.

"It's not totally open," said Kerri Jo Staniszewski, director of operations. "Were marketing only to students."

The initial 81-unit phase includes 165 beds. It is housing that is on campus, but it is not a traditional dormitory.

The first phase opens this summer, before the fall term starts. An on-site property manager will be available to the residents and is responsible for providing a secure and safe environment.

Dabco Property Management, Corporate Pointe's management partner, is marketing Breselford Vineyards for $800 to $2,000 per unit, or $500 to $890 a month per person. Prices depend on the unit size and the number of roommates. Leases run 12 months.

Corporate Pointe and Dabco have sole control over leasing and management, according to WSU.

WSU has a campus police department in Pullman, but the Richland campus is patrolled by private security who keep in contact with the Richland Police Department.

Prospective residents submit to a comprehensive background check covering criminal history, credit history, employment verification and so on.

Staniszewski said it does not ask for age, a form of discrimination. It also doesn't reject applicants for having no prior rental history, a nod to its young renter base.

It does reject applicants with some kinds of criminal or negative financial history.

Corporate Pointe will eventually build seven phases with room for 700 occupants.

Staniszewski said the company is watching leasing patterns in the first phase before it launches the second. Future phases will be designed with the most popular mix of unit sizes.

WSU chose Corporate Pointe for the project in 2016 after interviewing three prospective partners for its first-ever on-campus project at Richland.

The project is privately financed with each phase costing between $8 million and $9 million. The first phase includes community amenities such as a clubhouse and swimming pool.

Breselford Vineyards is opening in a tight housing market. The vacancy rate for all apartments in the Benton and Franklin market dropped to 1.1 percent, according to a spring survey by the University of Washington's Runstad Department of Real Estate. The statewide average was 2.7 percent.

The vacancy rate is even tighter for the larger units favored by college students and families — 0.5 percent for a two-bedroom unit in the Tri-Cities.

The average Tri-Cities apartment leased for $834 per month, according to the spring survey.

This story was originally published June 2, 2018 at 12:00 PM with the headline "WSU apartments open to rent. But not just anyone can live there."