This is an artist’s rendition of the planned Presque Isle Apartments, located at the Temaki/Smoothie King location and the parking lot across from it on Presque Isle Avenue. This $55 million project will see construction of two apartment buildings begin this fall and finish in time for the fall 2027 semester. Together, the buildings will house nearly 400 students and potentially faculty as well. (Image courtesy of Northern Michigan University)

MARQUETTE — This coming fall, Northern Michigan University will be start $55 million construction project to erect two apartment buildings for students and potentially faculty on Presque Isle Avenue.

The two buildings will be located on university property along both sides of Presque Isle Avenue, one between Fair Avenue and the Subway restaurant on the east, and the other from Cohodas Hall to Waldo Street on the west.

“The positive gains we’ve made in enrollment in recent years have increased the demand for housing on campus and in the community,” said Gavin Leach, vice president for Finance and Administration. “It escalated to the point that we needed to pursue an option for addressing the issue as part of our strategic goals to enhance the student experience, reduce barriers to success and promote well-being. It’s ideal if students don’t have to struggle to find available and affordable housing options when they arrive in Marquette.”

This past fall semester, NMU saw a large addition to the student body, with many upper class students staying on campus, pushed NMU to be overcapacity in its dormitories.

“This past fall we had 2741 students living on campus, and our capacity is 2648,” said Chief Marketing Officer Derek Hall. “So we had 90 students over capacity and we accommodated that by tripling up students in rooms that made sense for. Its hard to do that.”

Students received a discount on the rooms, as well as splitting the cost of the rooms three ways instead of just two or one person paying for it.

“Some people really liked it, others were hesitant,” Hall said. “The market, locally, is pinched. The Airbnbs and the other stuff the Marquette housing market is giving us, is pinching our older students so we accommodate them by letting them stay on campus but then we have the younger students coming as well. Its a huge puzzle.”

This new apartment complex will add an additional 384 beds, with rooms ranging from studio, two bedroom, three bedroom and four bedroom apartments. It will be funded by apartment rental revenues and managed similar to The Woods residence halls.

“It is a project we have been looking at for a while and it got to the point where we needed to sign a deal with our partner, and we are getting the same partner that we had with the Woods residential hall … Its been a good partnership.”

University officials are hopping to appeal to student athletes, with the two apartment buildings being so close to the sports facilities.

“We want to provide some of this to faculty, too,” Hall said.

Construction is planned to begin in the fall and be completed before the fall semester in 2027.

Though two NMU Dining Services operations will be affected by the project. Smoothie King has closed as its contract ended, and will not be reinstated.

Temaki will close for the NMU holiday break and reopen for next semester, but return to its original location in Hedgcock in summer 2025.

“We will finish up the library at the end of the year, and we will finish up the science labs and before those are done we are going to start the business building and these buildings before those others wrap up,” Hall said.

Antonio Anderson can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. His email address is aanderson@miningjournal.net.