UMMC family to get first crack at Meridian apartments

Media Contact: Ruth Cummins .

For specific questions about availability of units, signing leases, and unit floor plans and amenities, email MeridianAtFondren@gmail.com or call 601-376-9874.

University of Mississippi Medical Center students and employees have a new option for luxury living, literally across the street from campus and complete with coveted parking.Â

And they have first dibs.

Developers of the Meridian at Fondren, a 241-unit apartment building under construction at 800 Lakeland Drive across from UMMC's Peachtree Street entrance, will take reservations for summer 2016 when they visit campus Nov. 16-19. The UMMC community will get a first peek at plans and architectural renderings for the Meridian, the first luxury apartment home offering in the Fondren area, and the chance to talk to its creators, Stewart Speed and Tyler Kassinger of SKD Development.

Julian Esquivel of MSE Building Co. uses equipment to survey the Meridian at Fondren site.

“We want to give UMMC faculty and students a full opportunity to sign up,” said Speed, a partner in SKD. “There's not a lot of opportunity for places to live in Fondren, and a lot of faculty and students are very interested in the Meridian.”

Although it has no ownership in the development, UMMC is leasing the 4.4-acre Meridian site to private SKD. That's a boon to students and faculty who desire quality housing close to campus.

An in-pool sun deck is a special feature of the Meridian at Fondren's courtyard.

The Meridian's amenities include gated surface and garage parking, a resort-style saltwater swimming pool and courtyard area accessible only by residents, a pet park and dog-washing station, a fitness facility offering the latest equipment plus a yoga/Pilates room, and full or Juliet balconies for each unit. The courtyard includes a grilling station, double-sided fireplace with built-in television, and an in-pool sundeck and water curtain.

Studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units will be available ranging in square footage from 500 to 1,354, and there will be controlled elevator access for the five-story building. The development also will include ground-level office and retail space. Studio units are priced beginning at $950 monthly, with three-bedroom units renting for $1,650-$1,750.

“A lot of folks are really excited about this because there's such a parking shortage in Fondren. You can park your car and walk to work, campus or shopping,” said Kassinger, also a partner in SKD.

The Meridian at Fondren's private courtyard includes a lounge area with televisions.

Those wishing to sign a priority reservation agreement for the Meridian will make a refundable $150 deposit and indicate their move-in preferences, such as size of unit, view, choice of parking and move-in date, which is not guaranteed and is subject to change, depending on the development's construction schedule.

On Nov. 16, Kassinger said, floor plans for the Meridian units will be posted on the development's Facebook page; go to Meridian at Fondren. Until then, prospective residents can get more information and keep up with the Meridian's construction progress on Facebook. The Twitter handle is @fondrenliving. The website now under development is MeridianAtFondren.com.

Do you want to live at the Meridian at Fondren?

The 241-unit Meridian at Fondren.

Reservations for a unit at the Meridian at Fondren will be accepted from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the following places:

• School of Medicine lobby, Nov. 16-19
• Student Union first-floor lobby, Nov. 16-17
• University Hospital walkway, Nov. 17-19
• Entrance to Methodist Rehabilitation Center at McDonald's, Nov. 17-19