The long-empty OfficeMax on the busy corner of 400 South and 900 East is officially on its way out, making room for a six-story, amenity-packed student housing complex aimed squarely at University of Utah students.
Developers CRG and Cole West have broken ground on Chapter Salt Lake City, a purpose-built student housing project that will bring market-rate beds and a big slate of shared amenities to the East Central neighborhood. Crews have started early site work as the project moves into full construction.
According to the Salt Lake City Planning Division, the building will rise on roughly 1.94 acres and deliver about 252 units with capacity for roughly 696 beds. Developers have fully capitalized the project, and construction is underway with a target opening in summer 2028, according to Yield PRO. The property will join CRG’s growing Chapter portfolio of student-focused buildings under the Chapter Salt Lake City brand.
What the Building Will Include
Designed around student life, the project will mix studios with one- through four-bedroom layouts, giving groups of friends and solo renters different options under one roof. Cole West highlights a rooftop pool and hot tub, a fitness center with a dedicated Pilates studio, a sauna and even a ski simulator, along with study rooms, library-style spaces, a soda shop and other common areas, according to Cole West. Architecture firm LJC is credited with the design and has worked on other Chapter-branded properties in the portfolio.
Where It Sits and Transit Access
The site at 410 S. 900 East lands directly across from the TRAX 900 East & 400 South light-rail stop, putting trains almost at the front door and making car-free commuting to campus a real option. It is also a short walk to both the University of Utah and the Trolley Square retail district, details laid out in materials from the Salt Lake City Planning Division.
A demolition permit for the former OfficeMax has been filed as early site work continues, according to Building Salt Lake. City planners, reviewing the project under transit-oriented zoning, cited its pedestrian-focused frontage and access to rail when they weighed approval, with those details appearing in the city’s application materials.
Why Developers See Demand
CRG executives point to a simple driver: more students, not enough beds nearby. J.J. Smith noted that the University of Utah has posted six straight years of record enrollment and now tops roughly 38,000 students, a more than 20 percent increase over the last decade. That growth, the team argues, puts Salt Lake City among the faster-growing flagship university markets and underpins CRG’s push into purpose-built student housing, as reported by Yield PRO.
The project cleared design review with unanimous support from city planners last year, according to the Planning Commission minutes, which highlighted the location’s transit access and plans for improving the public realm.
Next Steps and Local Context
With approvals in place and demolition moving ahead, developers say vertical construction will kick off this spring, to welcome the first students in summer 2028. CRG is positioning Chapter Salt Lake City as part of its expanding Chapter lineup and notes it has already broken ground on multiple Chapter projects in other university markets, a trend the firm has promoted on its official LinkedIn.
For neighbors, the project means trading a long-vacant big-box site for several years of construction and, eventually, hundreds of students living across from a TRAX station. Local groups have been keeping an eye on how staging, sidewalks, and the ground-floor spaces will be handled as the empty OfficeMax gives way to a dense new student hub.
