First units available in February
BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — While a new hotel is getting ready to come out of the ground, more permanent rental accommodations have made impressive progress.
Arborside Preserve is the new apartment complex being built at the end of Southern Villas Drive in Starke.
Chris Savino, president of EIS Housing, said there is already a waiting list for units.
“We are slated to open the first units in early February of 2022. The project should be complete by the 
early summer. We will start taking applications for tenants in November of this year,” Savino said.
Getting on the waiting list now will have a first come, first served opportunity to lease an apartment.
According to the developers, the project will fill an affordable housing gap for young professionals and service workers who work locally but must look for housing outside the community.
“These are really designed and built to provide some really high-quality housing to people that are working professionals and people that are in the service industry. There’s really not this type of apartment in the area anywhere where I could find that are fresh and remodeled and new, that were reasonably priced, that contained all the updated features and fixtures like we’re going to be providing here,” said Brent Green, president of Archway Partners.
Savino and Green see Starke as a growing market that could attract tenants from areas like Gainesville and Middleburg who can no longer afford renting there and want to escape the “hustle and bustle” as well as the expense of urban life. With the prisons, schools and Camp Blanding, Green said there are a lot of people who need this type of housing.
“We just felt that there was a great up and coming area that’s in the path of growth,” Green said.
The partners say these 120 apartments will be available to applicants making 80% or less of the area’s median income. The two phases arise from having two sources of funding, federal and state, but the result will be a single development, called Arborside Preserve for the wooded nature preserve surrounding it.
Savino and Green consider the location one of the many amenities, in addition to a clubhouse with a 24-hour fitness center, a community center for parties and gatherings, and an internet connected office space for students and others who need to get some work done. Outside, there will also be a children’s playground.
Savino pointed out another convenience.
“What we really liked about this site was how close it is to the local schools,” he said. “We were thinking about the families when we picked it. We said a single mother or a young family, the kids can go literally go to all three schools and almost walk. I mean, it’s right there.”
The location also has the quality of being close to downtown but feeling like it’s out of town, Savino said.
The finished complex will have a total of eight one- and two-story residential buildings. The one- and two-bedroom apartments feature open-floor layouts in the living and kitchen areas with an island, along with high-end finishes like hardwood cabinets, granite countertops and energy efficient appliances, plus wood flooring throughout. All units have laundry rooms with washer and dryer hookups (there is a program to help tenants acquire them), and the two-bedroom apartments have two bathrooms as well, plus a walk-in closet.
“All the apartments are going to be energy efficient, and we’ll have a green building certification from a nationally recognized certification program similar to LEED,” Green said.
“We are really excited about the progress at Arborside Preserve,” Savino said.
For information about rentals and to get on the waiting list, contact [email protected], or call 407-573-0711, ext. 311. Arborside Preserve’s address is 4416 Oakmont Circle in Starke, FL 32091.
