Fayette County students who don't want to make the daily commute to classes at Clayton College and State University now have an alternative.

University officials and Place Collegiate Properties last week celebrated the official opening of Clayton Place, the company's newest development and the first student housing in CCSU's 30-year history. CCSU interim President Michael F. Vollmer and Morrow Mayor Jim Millirons extended the official welcome and cut the ribbon for Clayton Place.

The housing complex is at the corner of Clayton State Boulevard and North Lake Drive, just west of the Clayton State campus.

CCSU students started moving into buildings three, six, seven, eight and nine of the new facility right after the ceremony. Place Collegiate Properties set up a welcome tent for parents and students, and the Clayton State Alumni Association handed out welcoming kits to the new residents.

When completed, Clayton Place, which is owned and operated by Place Collegiate Properties, will house 480 CCSU students in completely furnished, four-bedroom, four-bath apartments. Clayton College & State University, a member institution of the University System of Georgia, is in Morrow in south metro Atlanta.