UTD students can expect more housing options in 2018 as construction begins on the second phase of Northside.

Northside is the luxury apartment complex located adjacent to UTD on Northside Boulevard, whose first phase was completed in fall 2016.

The timeline for the second phase began in early February and will conclude in August 2018, said Maureen Omrod, the director of marketing and communications at Balfour Beatty Investments, in an email to The Mercury.

Phase 2 will become a large complex designed for UTD and its surrounding communities, offering 900 beds within 276 housing units. Additionally, there will be an increase in retail space and services for residents. These amenities include, but are not limited to, a swimming pool, fitness center, community management office and study lounges for students.

Aspects of Phase 2 will not differ drastically from Phase 1 and are meant to complement the existing spaces, but it will offer different floor plans including a 2 bed, 2 bath unit, 4 bedroom units with 2 or 4 baths and a 3 bedroom townhome unit.

Rental rates for units similar to those in Phase 1 will be priced equivalently, but there will be a difference in pricing for new floor plans in Phase 2 to adjust for inflation, Omrod said in the email. These rates will be released later this year during the preleasing period for fall 2018.

In the email, Omrod said the community at Northside aims to enhance the student experience.

“Northside offers the optimal living experience for students at UTD. Students who live here enjoy the convenience of living adjacent to campus along with all the benefits of a world-class residential community: resort-style amenities, award-winning customer service, integrated dining and shopping venues and a social calendar full of resident activities and events,” Omrod said.

UTD owns the land being developed for the project, so the university has provided essential supervision of the operation throughout the construction of Northside.

“The University of Texas System and the UTD campus have provided a ground lease for the project. They have also been engaged in reviewing the overall scope of the project and have provided — and will continue to provide — valuable insights and guidance to the development team throughout the process,” Omrod said.

Calvin Jamison, the vice president for administration at UTD, envisions a transit-oriented development for Northside. He hopes that with the development of the retail spaces, students, faculty and staff will want to frequent the newest offerings.

“The major objective of creating the entire Northside experience is to create an environment where people can live, work, play and study,” Jamison said. “It’s an additional amenity to enhance the experience for our entire campus community, and we think the second phase will give us the critical mass of persons living there to assist with that process.”