In a celebration of partnerships, Mayor Wu joined President Aoun to mark the beginning of a new 23-story residence hall taking shape

The project demonstrates Northeastern’s commitment to Boston and neighbors in the Roxbury area to build more on-campus housing for students.

by Cyrus Moulton

February 3, 2026

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The hard hats were fire-engine red. 

The metal on the shovels gleamed. 

And leaders from the city of Boston, Northeastern University, and the Roxbury community were all smiles on Tuesday afternoon as they celebrated the groundbreaking of the new residence hall at 840 Columbus Ave.

“Eight-forty Columbus is proof of your commitment to our community,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said at a ceremony at the EXP research complex on Northeastern’s Boston campus. 

Praising the partnership between Boston and Northeastern, Wu said the city needed more places where students from Boston and across the world “can call home.” 

“Every student housed on campus is a unit freed up off campus,” Wu said. “As this university continues to grow in stature and impact, as new innovations and opportunities bring exciting and significant changes, the city will be there alongside you, dedicated to making sure that our communities continue to grow and benefit from all that you are bringing.”

A 23-story, approximately 445,200-square-foot residence hall will replace a parking lot at 840 Columbus Ave., property that Northeastern has owned since 1997. The new building is the second residence hall built as part of a unique partnership between the university, the city, and a private developer. LightView, a 21-story residence hall with 798 beds, opened in 2019.

The new residence hall will include up to 1,215 beds in four-bedroom units with private accommodations along with some efficiency units. The building will also feature student amenity space, including a social lounge, fitness center, study area, staff offices and a laundry room. 

The building is aligned with the university’s obligations outlined in its 2013 Institutional Master Plan. In the plan, Northeastern committed to, among other objectives, adding 1,000 new student beds on campus. The new building will include the last 175 beds to meet that obligation.

President Joseph E. Aoun said that the building will be successful not only because it provides places for students to live, but also because it was developed in partnership with the community’s needs.

“A building is not a destination, it’s not an end by itself,” Aoun said. “A building reflects the values for this city, reflects the values for Northeastern and reflects the values of this community.”

The ground floor of the residence hall will include approximately 11,000 square feet of community space as well as a 4,000-square-foot retail space. The community space will host economic development programs and initiatives to address critical needs and areas of interest in the community, including educational access, jobs and workforce development, small business support, and building capacity for existing community organizations that address economic development.

The new residence hall is the latest addition to the ongoing transformation of the Columbus Avenue corridor supported by Northeastern. The university has invested $26 million to rebuild the William E. Carter Playground, a once desolate patch of land that is now a sprawling collection of soccer fields, tennis courts and playgrounds. Northeastern’s total investments includes another $82 million to upkeep the city-owned facilities for the next 30 years.

The plans for 840 Columbus also feature streetscape improvements, including a dedicated bikeway, outdoor seating and the preservation of existing — and introduction of new — trees along all street areas.

Northeastern will also contribute $10 million over the next 10 years to the city to be used to advance housing stabilization and wealth creation in the immediately adjacent neighborhoods of the project. This is in addition to the $1 million the university had already committed during the permitting process.  

“We want to ensure that 840 Columbus is not just a university building, but a true bridge between campus and community,” said John Tobin, vice president for City and Community Engagement at Northeastern. “It’s what happens when you take the time to listen and build something together.”

Tobin, Wu and Aoun said that citizens such as Josie Mitchell of St. Cyprian’s church on Tremont Street as well as city councilors, members of the Boston planning department and many others were instrumental in the development process.

The residence hall will be built in partnership with American Campus Communities, the developers of LightView at 744 Columbus Ave. This partnership means that the new building will contribute to the city’s tax rolls, providing millions of dollars in tax revenue to the city each year.

“It is often said that when you think about a public/private partnership — because that is what we’re endeavoring with the city and the university and the private sector — that the most important part of the three is partnership,” said James Wilhelm, chief development officer and executive vice president of public/private partnerships at American Campus Communities. “That is what we find ourselves celebrating today.”

Giovanni Cutaia, global chief operating officer of real estate asset management at Blackstone, which owns ACC, said he was confident the new residence hall would be “a fantastic addition” to Northeastern.

“One thing that makes Boston so special is the amount of students who choose to come study here from all over the world,” Cutaia said. “We’re so proud to play a small role in improving their experience.”