MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - A 354 unit apartment complex will open in the neighborhood between the Jolly Rd. and Okemos Rd. intersection to Hagadorn Rd.

"The Okemos Pointe project is an exciting project that's a lifestyle residential community," Chief Operating Officer for WestPac Campus Communities Will Randle said.

The development will be the first new market rate project that's been built Okemos in almost 25 years.

"We feel like that there's a tremendous demand for housing nearby these local employers, and are looking forward to bringing that product from the market," Randle said.

The project will incorporate a new and exciting type of architecture referred to as Modern Mountain with the help of an architecture firm out of Beaver Creek, CO.

The apartment complex with have not only living units, but also a commercial space with restaurants and shops, as well as a trail system that will connect through the neighborhood.

A feature of the project that developers are most excited about, is a marketplace that will be located in the center of the development.

"This will be kind of a city farmer's market. It will be for growth stage businesses," President of Forsberg Real Estate Brent Forsberg said.

"We will have 50 or more additional or total vendors. Anything from a baker to a butcher to some gifts and unique made in Michigan type products," Randle said.

Development plans will be brought to the Meridian Township Board in April and developers hope to break ground in late June or early July.

The first phase will include 8 buildings and developers expect residents will be able to move into the apartment complex sometime around the Spring of 2018.