An Athens-based developer that’s delivered several towering, upscale student housing projects in Atlanta is sensing of void of new product in a growing OTP market. 

Landmark Properties, self-billed as the top student housing developer in the U.S., has begun construction on The Standard at Kennesaw, a joint venture with Dallas-based private equity manager Paceline Equity Partners. 

The off-campus project at 112 Townpark Drive is slated to bring 656 new student-housing beds less than a mile east of Kennesaw State University, near Interstate 575 and Chastain Road. 

The five-story residential project, as designed by Niles Bolton Associates, is scheduled to open in time for the 2028-2029 academic year at KSU, according to Landmark officials. 

The developer’s goal is to capitalize on record enrollment growth at KSU—and the fact that no new student residential project has delivered in the market for nearly five years, according to Jason Doornbos, Landmark’s chief development officer.

The project’s “unique unit mix, premium amenities, and proximity to campus will cater to a large population of students in need of housing,” Doornbos said in a recent announcement. 

Planned facade of 656-bed The Standard at Kennesaw. Niles Bolton Associates; courtesy of Landmark Properties

The Standard at Kennesaw's 112 Townpark Drive location (in red) near KSU's main campus, to the west. Google Maps

Plans in Kennesaw call for 157 apartments, ranging from studios up to six-bedroom floorplans, all with in-unit laundry and en-suite bathrooms. 

The amenity package—described by Landmark as the largest in Kennesaw’s market—will span more than 11,000 square feet. Expect a very non-dorm-like, resort-style rooftop pool deck with a Jumbotron, a golf simulator, a study lounge with a café, bike storage, courtyards, and a fitness center with a sauna. 

The building will also include a 559-car parking deck, though a shuttle bus will be offered to get residents to campus and nearby dining, retail, and entertainment hubs, such as The Village at Townpark. 

In Atlanta, Landmark Properties’ recent student housing work has included 32-story The Legacy tower near Centennial Olympic Park, 28-story The Mark tower in Midtown, and another high-rise branded as The Standard in Midtown that opened in 2018. 

The company is also behind a potentially skyline-altering, 40-story tower proposal that has yet to break ground next to The Varsity’s original location on Spring Street. 

Landmark, long headquartered in Athens, also counts offices in New York and London, along with new digs in Buckhead to support growing Atlanta operations. 

The development team in Kennesaw also includes Landmark Construction (the developer’s in-house general contractor) and Eberly & Associates (structural engineer). 

Elsewhere in Kennesaw, Landmark developed a 173-unit, 681-bed project called The Retreat at Kennesaw in 2021, which it sold last year as part of an eight-property deal.

Project location in the context of metro Atlanta's northwestern suburbs. Google Maps

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