Haverkamp Properties is replacing Riverside Manor with five buildings dedicated to student housing.

Haverkamp applied for permits beginning in 2014 and has now begun construction on this new set of housing.

The business had to go through a process in order to obtain its building permits. It was required to submit a site plan that fit with the city’s planning department.

“On the site plan, they had to provide all the parking, they had to provide outdoor lighting information, a landscape plan and indicate sidewalks,” said department planner Charlie Kuester.

“They submitted a site plan, we reviewed [and] it met all of our development requirements,” Kuester said.

The project originally was only going to consist of two buildings.

“It kind of morphed, it was initially going to be a two-building project that would have kept Riverside Manor and allowed two other buildings to be built,” Kuester said.

Haverkamp Properties had to get approval from city staff and Ames residents in the format of a public hearing before it could begin construction after its decision to buy out the entire property.

“They ended up buying out the entire property and now it is a five-building project,” Kuester said.

Residents did not find any great threat of the construction, so Riverside Manor relocated residents and building began.

Because the location does fall in the flood way, further requirements were necessary for building permits as well.

“Part of development is in the flood way, and that is limited to essentially the parking lot,” Kuester said.

Haverkamp Properties designed two-, three- and four-bedroom units for ISU students. There will be access to outdoor fire pits, and furnished units are available.

The construction is scheduled to be completed in fall 2016.

ISU students have responded positively to the new housing. 

“I know lots of people that are having problems finding places that are nice and affordable, so I think that any new housing is good”, said Keaton Lane, freshman in journalism. 

Shelby Parmenter, a freshman political science major, agreed with Lane.

“Because there is so much over crowding, that even off campus housing is a great option because then people can still mingle and it is still like a residence hall kind of,” Parmenter said.