LightView Brings 825 Student Beds to Boston Through Bold Public-Private Housing Model at Northeastern

Northeastern University just opened a game-changing student housing facility that’s reshaping how universities tackle the city’s tight housing market. LightView, a brand-new 20-story residential tower located at 744 Columbus Avenue, represents a breakthrough moment in Boston’s “Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030” initiative—one that’s designed to house more students while freeing up existing apartments for local workforce members.

The Partnership That Made It Happen

This development marks the first developer-led, equity-financed student housing project in Boston, built through a partnership between Northeastern, the City, and American Campus Communities (ACC). The collaboration uses ACC’s innovative American Campus Equity (ACE)® program, which allows universities to expand student housing without tapping their own budgets or taxpayer funds. It’s a model Boston’s mayor and university leadership are betting could be replicated across the city.

“This partnership shows us how universities and cities can work together creatively,” said Kathy Spiegelman, Northeastern’s vice president for campus planning. By letting ACC handle the development and operations, Northeastern preserves resources for its core teaching and research mission—a win-win setup that’s attracting attention in higher education circles.

What Students Actually Get

The 825-bed facility isn’t just another dorm. LightView offers mostly four-occupant apartments with flexible room configurations, plus nearly 12,000 square feet of shared amenity spaces. The lineup includes social lounges, a premium fitness center, a 24-hour Academic Success Center, and 2,000 square feet of retail space. On-site staff manage day-to-day operations and student support.

Third-, fourth-, and fifth-year students can lease here directly from ACC—outside Northeastern’s standard housing lottery system—but they’re still bound by campus conduct codes. The community already proved its appeal: it was fully leased nine months before opening, suggesting strong demand for this type of housing model.

Laura Bilal, a third-year bioengineering student, captured the vibe: “LightView really checks the boxes—affordability, location, community—but it goes beyond that. In just a few weeks, I’ve already made friends and found study groups. It’s way better than I expected.”

Sustainability and Design

The building is chasing LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, targeting energy and resource efficiency standards. CUBE 3 and Elkus Manfredi Architects designed it to blend into the neighborhood while supporting academic life. The final touch: local emerging artists from THE Studio at Grand Image created murals and installations featuring figures like Louisa May Alcott and civil rights leaders, giving the space cultural depth.

A Model for Boston’s Housing Crisis

Boston’s 2014 housing initiative recognized a fundamental problem: student housing was occupying units that could house workforce members. By concentrating students in purpose-built facilities like LightView, the city can redirect older apartments to working residents. Mayor Martin Walsh framed it as a replicable template for solving Boston’s broader housing shortage.

“This collaboration shows what’s possible,” Walsh said. “We hope it becomes a model for future projects that bring more vitality to Columbus Avenue and beyond.”

For American Campus Communities, the project reinforces its position as the largest student housing operator in the U.S., with roughly 108,800 beds across 169 owned properties as of mid-2019, plus another 133,100 beds when including third-party managed properties. The LightView opening signals continued expansion of this public-private housing model across American universities.