Midtown Detroit will add another residential development to its landscape as construction for a new mixed-use project, which will offer apartments and retail spaces, is now underway.

The $12 million Auburn housing project, which broke ground at the end of September, will feature four studio apartments, 54 one-bedroom apartments and 11 tenant-ready retail units.

All apartments in the 56,000-square-foot complex, located on the corner of Cass Avenue and Canfield Street, are an average of 615 square feet and start at about $700 per month. The housing unit is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012.

The Auburn is being developed by the Roxbury Group, along with Invest Detroit and Midtown Detroit, Inc.

Sue Mosey, president of Midtown Detroit, Inc., said the housing need in the Midtown area provided the motivation behind the development.

“We have a tremendous demand right now for housing,” Mosey said “We also are trying to encourage a lot more retail development along Cass to create a reach-out district along this part of the neighborhood.”

One illustration of a response to the housing demand in the Midtown area is The Beethoven, a newly developed, 30-unit apartment building located on Third Street, just south of West Forest Avenue.

“(The building) filled within two months,” Mosey said, “so there’s definitely a demonstrated need for housing here.”

NCB Capital Impact, financing partner of the Living Cities Integration Initiative, is providing most of the funds for the project, along with The Ford Foundation, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and Invest Detroit.

The proximity of the Auburn makes the housing project appealing to Wayne State students, who are less than two blocks away from the project grounds.

“You don’t even need a car; you can walk everywhere,” WSU media studies senior Mel Mills said. “For me, proximity is a big deal. The closer to campus, the better, especially with Michigan winters.”

Some students at WSU said the pricing of the apartments, the majority of which being one-bedroom apartments, is too high.

“I think that’s high,” Mills said. “The average student can’t afford a $700 a month payment of anything. It’s nice but expensive.”

Brandon Thompson, a WSU junior majoring in dietetics, said the pricing is reasonable under certain conditions.

“I think it’s fair depending on if you have a roommate or not; I would do it,” Thompson said. “…If you’re a student, more than likely you’re not making $700 a month. But some people are different because they work full-time jobs and go to school. I think it’s a great thing for those who can afford it.”

Mosey said the business has received no complaints regarding pricing.

Additionally, Midtown Detroit, Inc. has no plans of stopping the housing buzz anytime soon.

“The Newbury building, which is under renovation across from the hospital over there on John R (Street), (includes) 28 units of housing. That’s going to be coming online in a couple of months; it’s almost done,” Mosey said. “You’ll be seeing pretty consistent construction activity over the next couple of years, bringing in new housing and commercial into the area.”