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July 7, 2026
If you are searching for off-campus housing near UConn, you will quickly discover that not all student housing looks the same. Some communities offer traditional apartment-style units, where everything is on one level, or garden-style apartments with private entrances. Others offer townhome-style living, where you spread across two floors, step outside through your own entrance, and have a setup that feels much more like a home than a dorm upgrade.
Both styles have real advantages. The better question is which one fits your life at UConn right now. If you want broader context on the current state of student housing near campus, read about why the UConn housing crunch makes off-campus planning more important than ever.
Quick Answer: Townhomes offer more space and a quieter feel with no neighbors directly above or below. Apartments are more compact, easier to navigate, and often closer to campus. At The Den Student Living, Cedar Ridge offers townhome-style living about 10 minutes from UConn with a private shuttle, while Hunting Lodge delivers garden-style apartment living just five minutes from Storrs campus on the university bus route. Both include free parking, individual leasing, and pet-friendly policies.
A townhome is a multi-level attached home. You enter through your own private front door, live across two or more floors, and share a wall with a neighboring unit rather than a ceiling or floor. The layout feels residential, with real staircases, storage closets, and a larger footprint overall.
An apartment is a single-level unit inside a larger building or complex. You typically share a hallway with neighboring units and may have residents directly above or below you. Apartments tend to be easier to navigate and are commonly located closer to walkable campus areas.
Apartment List notes that townhomes generally offer more space and a more private feel, while apartments are often easier to maintain and more likely to sit in denser, walkable locations. Neither format is universally better. Each serves a different kind of student lifestyle.
At The Den, the townhome vs. apartment difference maps directly to two distinct properties.
The Den at Cedar Ridge is in Willington, Connecticut, about 10 minutes from UConn's Storrs campus. It offers multi-level townhome floor plans with large bedrooms, spacious eat-in kitchens, in-unit washers and dryers, and a daily campus shuttle. Cedar Ridge suits students who want more room, a quieter residential setting, and space without neighbors directly overhead.
The Den at Hunting Lodge is in Storrs, directly on the UConn bus line. Its apartment-style floor plans are single-level with large bedrooms, upgraded finishes in select units, and building laundry rooms. At five minutes from campus, Hunting Lodge is ideal for students who rely on the bus or want to stay close to Storrs Center.
Both properties are pet-friendly, offer furnished and unfurnished options, include individual leasing and roommate matching, and share the same on-site management team. Explore the full amenities at The Den for a side-by-side breakdown.
Townhomes at Cedar Ridge give you a multi-level layout, meaning your bedroom, living space, and kitchen feel like distinct zones. If you share with roommates, having floors between your space and theirs makes a real difference in privacy and noise. Storage closets mean your textbooks, gear, and seasonal items have somewhere to go.
Apartments at Hunting Lodge have a more compact, efficient footprint. Everything is on one level, which works well if you prefer a simpler, lower-maintenance setup. For students who spend most of their time on campus and need a solid home base, apartment-style living delivers exactly that.
According to a 2025 survey from Inside Higher Ed, apartment-style housing is the most requested format among college students at 34 percent, but that same research noted that students increasingly prioritize privacy in their living space, a hallmark of townhome-style living.
Anyone who has lived in a multi-story apartment building knows the ceiling neighbor situation. Footsteps, moving furniture, late-night noise: it is one of the most consistently cited frustrations among apartment renters.
Townhomes eliminate the above-and-below neighbor problem entirely. Because your unit spans multiple floors, the only shared surfaces are side walls with adjacent units. For students with different schedules than their neighbors, or anyone who values quiet study time at home, this structural advantage is significant.
Apartments in well-managed communities are not necessarily loud. But if noise is a priority, a townhome layout gives you a stronger starting point. Student housing research from Research.com highlights a growing preference for privacy, with single-occupancy and bed-bath parity ranking as top priorities heading into 2026.
Cedar Ridge residents use a private campus shuttle that The Den operates for its residents. The drive from Willington takes approximately 10 minutes. For students with a car or those comfortable with a scheduled shuttle, the commute is easy and predictable.
Hunting Lodge is on the UConn bus route in Storrs. The ride to campus is approximately five minutes, and being in Storrs puts you steps from campus events, local restaurants, and Storrs Center without a car.
If proximity is the deciding factor, Hunting Lodge wins. If you are weighing location against space, and in-unit laundry, Cedar Ridge offers a trade-off many students find worthwhile. For more context, see what to expect when moving off campus at UConn.
Both Cedar Ridge and Hunting Lodge share a strong amenities baseline, including free on-site parking, outdoor basketball courts, grilling stations, 24/7 emergency maintenance, pet-friendly policies, individual leasing, roommate matching, Leap Guaranty options, and furnished or unfurnished configurations.
Cedar Ridge adds: in-unit washer/dryer, bedroom-level AC, spacious eat-in kitchen, granite countertops, upgraded cabinetry, vinyl plank flooring, storage closets, and a private campus shuttle.
Hunting Lodge adds: direct UConn bus line access, large bedrooms, granite countertops and upgraded finishes in select units, and building laundry rooms.
Cedar Ridge delivers more in-unit features. Hunting Lodge trades some of those conveniences for a closer campus location. See all configurations on The Den's floor plans page.
Both properties offer the same individual leasing structure, the same flat $99 monthly utility package covering internet, electricity, water, gas, garbage, and sewage, and the same on-site management team. Read about what life at The Den is really like from current residents. You can also find additional guidance through UConn Off-Campus Housing resources.
A townhome is a multi-level attached unit with a private entrance, more space, and no neighbors above or below. An apartment is a single-level unit in a larger building, often closer to campus. Garden-style apartments offer an alternative to this structure, with ground floor private entrances rather than internal corridors. For UConn students, the choice usually comes down to how much space you want versus how close to campus you need to be.
Townhomes offer more built-in quiet since you do not share ceiling or floor surfaces with other residents. If you study at home regularly, a townhome gives you a structural advantage for focused work. Well-managed apartments can be equally quiet, but the townhome format starts from a quieter baseline.
It depends on the floor plan. At The Den, both Cedar Ridge townhomes and Hunting Lodge apartments are priced on a per-bed basis and both include the flat $99 monthly utility package and free parking. Review current pricing on The Den's floor plans page for a direct comparison.
Yes. The Den at Cedar Ridge in Willington, CT offers townhome-style layouts approximately 10 minutes from UConn. The Den at Hunting Lodge in Storrs, CT offers apartment-style layouts approximately five minutes from campus on the university bus route. Both properties share core amenities and are managed by the same team.
Yes. Both Den properties welcome cats and dogs. UConn on-campus housing does not permit pets, making off-campus communities like The Den the primary option for students with animals. Whether you choose Cedar Ridge or Hunting Lodge, your pet is welcome.
Individual leasing means you are only responsible for your own portion of the rent, not the full unit cost. If a roommate situation changes, your financial obligation does not. Both Cedar Ridge and Hunting Lodge offer individual leasing as a standard feature in both the townhome and apartment formats.
Start with your commute preference and how much space you want. If being on the campus bus route is your top priority, Hunting Lodge is the stronger fit. If you want more space, in-unit laundry, and a quieter residential feel with a 10-minute shuttle ride, Cedar Ridge delivers. Both include free parking, individual leasing, pet-friendly policies, and the $99 utility package.
The townhome vs. apartment question does not have a universal answer, and it should not. The right housing style depends on what your daily life at UConn actually looks like.
Cedar Ridge gives you space, privacy, in-unit laundry, and a residential feel that is hard to find in traditional student apartment buildings. Hunting Lodge puts you as close to campus as possible with a clean, manageable layout and direct bus access.
Both are The Den. Both offer individual leasing, free parking, professional management, and the $99 utility package. Both welcome your pets. The best way to figure out which one is right for you is to see them both.
Tours are available now at Cedar Ridge and Hunting Lodge. Come see the difference for yourself, schedule a tour.
