RCCD and UC Riverside Celebrate Landmark North District 2 Student Housing Project
10/03/2025
On September 29, Riverside Community College District (RCCD) and UC Riverside (UCR) celebrated the opening of the North District 2 housing complex—a first-of-its-kind partnership in California that provides community college and university students the opportunity to live and learn together.
The 415,000-square-foot development delivers 429 apartment-style units with 1,568 beds, plus a community park, playing fields, a neighborhood market, and a 700-space parking lot. The innovative model responds to rising student housing demand while creating pathways that link community college students with the four-year university experience.
More than 200 guests attended the ribbon-cutting, including UCR Chancellor S. Jack Hu, RCCD Chancellor Wolde-Ab Isaac, University of California Board of Regents Chair Janet Reilly, Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, and Riverside County Supervisor Jose Medina.
Chancellor Isaac described the project as a transformative step for higher education access. “This partnership between RCCD and UCR will open doors, dismantle barriers, and create pathways for our students that will endure for generations” Isaac explained.
UC Chancellor Hu emphasized the collaborative nature of the project. “By bringing together students from two institutions, we’re advancing a model that does not yet exist elsewhere in California, a model grounded in shared purpose and collaboration,” Hu said.
State Chancellor Sonia Christian with RCCD Board Members, MVC President, and RCCD Chancellor.
California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonia Christian noted the project reflects a fundamental shift. “Historically, community colleges have been seen as commuter campuses—no dorms, no housing. But that idea began to be rewritten in 2021. What a game-changer that has been. Suddenly we were not navigating housing; we were building it,” she said.
California State Senator Sabrina Cervantes and Assembly member Corey A. Jackson were also in attendance and delivered remarks, underscoring the project’s regional impact and the importance of expanding student housing access.
Among those who moved in this fall was Dyeem Tolbert, a second-year Riverside City College track and field student-athlete. “Living here means more than having a place to sleep—it’s about being part of something bigger,” Tolbert said. “I’m able to connect with UCR students, stay focused on my training, and get a sense of what life at a university is really like. That motivates me to keep pushing toward my goals.”
Construction of North District 2 was completed in just 21 months. The project includes a mix of housing amenities, green space, and recreational fields designed to support academic and social life. Leaders praised the collaboration as a scalable model that other institutions may replicate across the state to address student housing insecurity while strengthening transfer pipelines.
For further details and additional coverage, visit UC Riverside’s article.
Published by External Relations & Strategic Communications