Assistant coaches will soon have a significant financial burden lifted off their shoulders with the construction of new faculty rental housing meant specifically for them.

The units, which will be built adjacent to the College Terrace neighborhood off of El Camino Real, will be constructed using money from an anonymous donor who hopes to make Stanford more appealing to coaching staff.

“Stanford University is located in an area where the cost of living is greater than many . . . important staff can afford,” Robert Reidy, vice president for Land Buildings and Real Estate, wrote in an email to The Daily. “In this case, we are fortunate to have a donor who is willing to contribute to the project, which we ultimately believe will assist us in retaining staff, like coaches.”

Stanford has already spent millions in providing housing to coaching staff within proximity to campus. With the median home sale price in Palo Alto at $1.3 million, Stanford hopes this new housing will significantly offset Stanford’s current burden of housing faculty close to campus.

According to University Architect David Lenox, the site will contain 22 free-standing rental units along with adequate resident and guest parking. Lenox said the architecture will blend local architectural styles with already established campus themes.

“The aesthetic and distinctive styles for the housing units will be derived from the contextual features and scale of the homes in College Terrace and the material palette of Escondido Village Housing,” Lennox wrote in an email to The Daily.

Reidy added that three local architectural styles — Bay Area Bungalow, California Craftsman and Historical Californian — will be particularly prominent.

According to Reidy, a large amount of planning has gone into the placement of these homes, which vary in size from 1,550 to 1,880 gross square feet. The houses will be kept in close proximity with approximately seven homes per acre over a total area of three acres.

Proper landscaping is seen as integral in maintaining the aesthetic of the new complex.

“We believe that preserving as many of the mature trees as possible will be helpful,” Reidy said. “The trick will be to insert these homes into the site and have the resulting development feel and look as it is intended — timeless.”

Reidy said that the rental cost of the housing units has not been established and will not be available until the project nears completion. Lenox added that the rental price will be determined by the total construction cost. These costs may vary with the steadily increasing price of construction materials.

Reidy and Lenox anticipate construction to be completed in 2009.