By Baylee Pulliam

Construction on the latest addition to the University of Louisville skyline is well underway. Developers of Cardinal Towne, the new student housing complex being built on the corner of Third Street and Cardinal Boulevard, broke ground on the project in late August of 2010.

Rooms that will later hold clothes and book bags are presently furnished with belt-sanders, table saws and reflective orange vests. Walls that will eventually be covered with pictures of friends, family and movie stars are now bare, with exposed wiring and support beams.

Some students say that the newness of Cardinal Towne is a major selling point.

“It’s new,” said Erica Ellingsworth, a freshman elementary education major. “No one’s ever lived there, slept in that bed, cooked in that kitchen, or used that shower before you do.”

Many amenities have yet to be completed, such as the movie theater, study halls and lounges. The restaurants and retail shopping center, which will be located on the ground floor, have proved problematic.

“We don’t have all of the store fronts leased out yet,” said Austin Schwenker, a sophomore chemistry major and a leasing agent for Cardinal Towne. “We have some restaurants and a convenience store, but very little retail stores so far.”

Schwenker said the developers were in discussion with one retailer, but the deal fell through. Thus far, Gray’s College Bookstore is the only retailer to have signed on.

According to Larry Gough, Cardinal Towne developer, restaurants such as Heine Brothers’ Coffee, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Qdoba Mexican Grill, The Comfy Cow, Papalinos NY Pizzeria, Le Peep, and Home Run Burgers & Fries have all signed leases. These restaurants plan to have both indoor and outdoor dining.

 “The restaurants in the building will not be on the meal plan,” David Martin, U of L director of purchasing, told The Louisville Cardinal in October of 2010.

Many other aspects of the Cardinal Towne property are uncertain as of now.

Cardinal Towne will have an underground parking lot, but the number of spaces available to students is yet to be determined. According to Schwenker, Cardinal Towne has reserved several spaces in the lot near Bettie Johnson Hall for overflow.

“It’ll actually be cheaper to park there,” said Schwenker. “Right now, the price for a spot in the garage is outrageous, but they’re working on that.”

Room pricing at Cardinal Towne is slightly above that of comparable on-campus housing.

A two-bedroom, single-occupancy room at Cardinal Towne will cost $775 per month, per person, as a part of a 10-month lease. University Tower Apartments, the most comparable residence building offered by on-campus housing, costs $2,754 per person, per semester – or $688.50 per month for the four months covered in the lease.

However, students residing at Cardinal Towne will not need to purchase the resident student meal plan, which, Martin told The Louisville Cardinal in March, could potentially increase roughly 25 percent in the fall of 2011.

While construction is, as of yet, largely incomplete, Cardinal Towne officials have scheduled for students to begin moving in as early as Aug. 15 of this year.

“Of course, things can always speed up or slow down,” said Schwenker. “Nothing is ever definite.

Until then, the building’s only occupants are men in reflective orange vests and hard hats.