New student apartments will have content creation studio, other Gen Z amenities

A nearly 700-bed student apartment complex could be up and running by fall 2026, and it will have some Generation Z specific accouterments, according to St. Louis-based developer Subtext, which has been developing the student apartment project since last summer.

Subtext has purchased 3.84 acres of land at the corner of Huger and Blossom Streets to construct the new student apartments, named Verve Columbia. The developer included new details about what amenities the apartments will offer as part of its announcement that it has formally purchased property for the project, which has been in the works for about a year.

The apartments will be geared specifically toward Gen Z renters, offering a content creation studio, study pods, meditation rooms, an outdoor sports court and a game lounge, plus other more typical apartment fare such as a fitness center and a pool, according to Subtext’s announcement.

Subtext initially proposed a 5-story , 900-bed apartment at the site, but later reduced the plans to a four-story, 697-bed apartment. The apartments will range from studios to five bedrooms. The project is also expected to include a 368-car garage, according to site plans previously approved by the Columbia Planning Commission.

Developers say it will be a roughly $90 million project. It joins a slate of new student housing recently built or expected to come online in the next year or two.

Sawyer on Lincoln, located near the USC College of Engineering, and The Standard Columbia, a 17-story complex on Assembly Street, are now open. A $100 million student apartment complex by Colonial Life Arena called Gadsden and Greene is also in the works.