UMass Boston

The university's first residential students moved into the Residence Hall during Labor Day Weekend of 2018. 

Following an extensive qualification and review process in fall 2015, the University of Massachusetts Building Authority (UMBA) engaged a team from Capstone Development Partners, a national leader in public-private partnership (P3) student housing, to develop residential housing on the UMass Boston campus. In early 2016 UMBA received approval from the state, the UMBA Board, and UMass Board of Trustees to move forward with the project.

The $120 million project provides:

• Over 1,000 beds in singles, doubles, triples, and quads
• Housing for first-year students
• Flexible living/learning spaces
• A vibrant ground-floor indoor and outdoor commons
• Dining common for both residents and the campus community

The residence hall development forms a new northern gateway to campus, located on the R1 site identified in the 25-year Campus Master Plan. The residential wings along University Drive North and University Drive West stand at seven and nine stories, respectively, to fit with the surrounding neighborhood. A taller, 12-story residential wing is set back from Mount Vernon Street and adjacent properties.

Construction began in fall 2016, with the Residence Hall open and occupied in fall 2018. The Capstone Development team, including the local partners of Elkus Manfredi Architects and Shawmut Construction, has worked closely with UMBA and the campus to develop the design for the project.

The developer team took on the responsibility to finance, design, and construct the facility, under a land-lease agreement with UMBA. A third-party, nonprofit entity leases the land, owns, operates and maintains the facility for UMass Boston. The management company employed by the nonprofit entity works closely with the university to support students in residence. UMass Boston Student Affairs staff oversees the living and learning experience and the resident life programming for students, including providing resident assistants and resident directors in the facility.