L.A. developer readies to build student housing in Boise, Moscow

Teya Vitu//December 29, 2016

The Identity on Main will be student housing in Moscow with 398 beds in 133 units. Image courtesy of Eran Fields. — The Identity on Main, shown here, is a proposed student housing project in Moscow with 398 beds in 133 units. Image courtesy of Eran Fields.

Los Angeles developer Eran Fields expects to start construction in March on student housing projects in Boise and Moscow, both across the street from Boise State University and the University of Idaho, respectively.

Fields, principal at Fields Holdings, expects to finish both projects in July 2018. He is developing them in partnership with CA Student Living, a division of Chicago-based CA Ventures, which operates about 30 student housing complex in state university cities in 15 states.

Fields and CA Student Living will co-develop the Boise and Moscow projects and CA Student Living will operate them. CA Living also operates Fields Holdings’ LIV Seattle student housing, Identity Reno, Identity Seattle, Icon and Icon Gardens in Santa Barbara, Calif. Fields and CA are now building student housing near the University of Missouri.

The Boise project tentatively is called The Identity and will have 94 apartments with 295 beds on a triangular property wedged into Boise Avenue, Beacon Street and Oakland Avenue.

The Identity will be student housing at Boise Avenue and Beacon Street. Image courtesy of Eran Fields. — The Identity, shown here, is planned student housing at Boise Avenue and Beacon Street. Image courtesy of Eran Fields.

The Moscow housing is called The Identity on Main and will have 133 units with 398 beds in a mix of apartment and townhome buildings. The Moscow property at Main Street and Troy Road is 6 acres, much larger than the 1.1-acre site in Boise.

The Moscow project will also have a 3,000-square-foot retail space for which a tenant has not been confirmed, Fields said.

The architect for the Boise project is David Ruby at The Architects Office in Boise. The Moscow architect is Thom Jess of Arris Studio Architects in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Meridian-based ESI Construction is general manager for both.