By Pierce Panagakos

As the University of Maryland (UMD) continues to grow, so does the need for student housing. Three new apartment buildings are set to open in August 2022, just in time for the fall semester. Two of them — The Nine and Tempo — are adjacent to the city’s Berwyn neighborhood, while the third, Aster, is close to Old Town. All three are on Baltimore Avenue. 

Tempo, The Nine and Aster will offer many amenities that other student apartment buildings in the city provide, including a fitness center, ground level retail, a pool and dedicated work spaces. 

Tempo, which is within walking distance of the UMD campus, will also offer some upscale  amenities, including a multi-sport simulator, a podcast and video studio, and a rooftop oasis with firepits and TVs. A bike path will run behind the apartments and connect to the Paint Branch Trail, which runs through campus.

The Nine will offer a number of appealing amenities, as well, including a spa, a meditation garden, a 24/7 caffeine café, a fully equipped arcade, a putting range and an outdoor jumbotron for screening sporting events. The building, located behind The Enclave apartments, is currently under construction.

Aster, will offer a range of similar amenities, as well as a pet spa and a bike repair shop. The building is being constructed on a parcel that includes the lot where Plato’s Diner used to be; the ground level portion of the Aster that faces Route 1 will be leased to a specialty grocer. The Hyattsville Wire reported that Trader Joe’s will occupy the space, but as of press time, neither Trader Joe’s nor KLBN, the development’s retail space leasing agent, confirmed this detail.

Many students have high expectations for the new apartments. James Baldo, a journalism major at UMD predicted that they could become more popular than established apartments like Terrapin Row and Landmark. “I think it’s a desired destination for a lot of upcoming seniors and even juniors. So in that regard, I think location is definitely going to be its selling point. … it’s a new building, and with that, I think the expectation is going to be that the facility itself is nicer than that of Landmark and and T[errapin] Row, and even places like the Varsity, so I think its selling point it’s going to be that it’s new, and and that it’s in a great spot,” he said. 

Each development has launched an aggressive social media marketing campaign, which may be a factor driving students’ expectations. These campaigns include give-aways that can be attractive to students — think free Starbucks, Apple Airpods and Target shopping sprees.  “Well, I mean, it definitely got my interest … I saw free Chipotle for a year as a student, and I was like, ‘Yeah, let me try to enter that contest.’ You know, I think that that’s a good marketing tool for them” Baldo said. 

Expectations are high for these new student apartment complexes. With other well-established student housing options available to them, students will have increasingly varied housing options. More information about these developments is available on their respective websites: tempocollegepark.com, the9collegepark.com and astercollegepark.com.