The Project
Conveniently positioned on San Antonio Street just steps from The University of Texas at Austin, Moontower overlooks the West Campus neighborhood in every direction. Moontower’s intentional Austin-centric branding and elevated design challenged the market’s cookie-cutter student housing approach.
“Party at the Moontower”
With its central location within West Campus and only a block from the popular retail and restaurants on The Drag, Moontower offers students a functional home base with unparalleled access to their most frequented places. The community consists of 166 units and 567 beds across 17 residential floors, as well as four floors of below-grade parking. Moontower also features a vibrant array of activation spaces ranging from the lobby to the rooftop, including the market’s first dedicated spin studio.
Background
Adjacent to The University of Texas at Austin, the West Campus corridor is one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the state of Texas with nearly 20,000 residents. Most of these residents are students, creating an extremely competitive student housing market in which new student apartments opening every year host increasingly enticing offerings.
With the challenge of luxury becoming the expectation in student housing for this neighborhood, LV Collective identified a coveted 0.45 acres of property along San Antonio Street. LV acquired the parcel in 2018 in an off-market transaction enabled by its connections, market knowledge, and reputation within the locale. The building broke ground the same year and delivered ahead of schedule.
Spaces With a Story
While dozens of student housing properties throughout West Campus radiate a cold, industrial feel, Moontower was modeled after boutique hospitality environments that head designer Chelsea Kloss experienced during international travel. As a contrast from current minimalist trends, Moontower leaned into vibrant colors, patterns, and materials that delivered a modern twist on the classic design philosophy from the period of original Austin moontowers, the project’s namesake.
LV incorporated intentional touches throughout the building to make each space feel like home, from locally sourced art and vintage rugs to the custom Moontower scent. The eclectic furniture, unique lighting, and every selection in between was meant to reflect the culture of the city and the students.
The differentiating factor in Moontower’s design process was that LV collaborated with student interns to ensure that the “check-the-box” amenities were thoughtfully programmed as engaging community spaces. The eighteenth-floor amenity package includes a zen yoga studio flooded with natural light, a moody spin room that pulls from today’s popular cycling concepts, and an impressive rooftop pool deck with panoramic views of UT campus. The project also features a carefully designed creative leaning floor with an assortment of private conference rooms and shared study spaces, as well as a fully equipped fitness center and outdoor terrace.
Top-Notch Tower, Luxurious Layouts
In addition to Moontower’s welcoming design and top-of-the-line community amenities, the building features a wide variety of floor plans designed to suit the diverse lifestyles of UT’s student body. Moontower’s unit mix includes fully furnished studios through five-bedroom layouts, each embracing the property’s local branding with floor plans named after Austin celebrities, including “The Kendra,” “The Ehlinger,” “The Brees,” and “The McConaughey.”
Residence interiors include stainless steel appliances, waterfall edge quartz countertops, and in-unit washers and dryers. Some units also feature floor-to-ceiling windows, walk-in closets, and custom pendant lighting and fixtures that carry the character of the building into each apartment. Moontower’s designer furniture package and hand-picked finishes create a luxurious community that students are proud to be a part of.
The Results
By positioning itself as a lifestyle-first experience, Moontower was differentiated from the start as a property that pushed the limits on student housing. The intentional incorporation of offerings that students want and need, along with the community’s unbeatable location and design, ensured that Moontower would see pre-lease success.
Achieving 97% leasing velocity by November 2019, Moontower claimed the title of the market’s first property to hit 100% occupancy in the 2020-2021 leasing season. Moontower achieved the highest rents in the market, performing above proforma, and was one of the largest single-asset sales during the pandemic.
