Northeastern University, a renowned educational institution in the heart of Boston, is surrounded by diverse and vibrant neighborhoods including Roxbury, Mission Hill, and the Fenway. In recent years, the university’s student enrollment has surged, increasing by 24% over 10 years, causing intensified housing pressures on its neighbors. 

Northeastern is proposing a 10-year Institutional Master Plan that projects housing only 60% of their undergraduate students by 2034 after proposing a 67% goal in their 2012-2022 IMP; currently 56% of undergraduates live on campus. Even assuming the projected 5% undergraduate enrollment growth in this plan is attained, this marginal increase in on-campus housing means minimal relief for the surrounding neighborhoods. 

Northeastern also projects over 5,000 new graduate students attending classes at its Boston campus, while providing no graduate student housing and further exacerbating existing housing challenges.

Therefore, we call on President Joseph Aoun and Northeastern University to:

1) Increase its on-campus student housing goal to accommodate 75% of Northeastern’s undergraduate students by 2034. 

More students living on-campus will reduce some of the competition for residential housing and prevent further displacement of long-term residents. Furthermore, we request the university to stop expansion into residential neighborhoods.

2) Contribute $1M annually for the next ten years to the Neighborhood Stabilization Fund. 

This fund, which will be managed by the City’s Boston Home Center, will offer downpayment assistance to qualified first-time homebuyers who purchase a home in Roxbury, Mission Hill, and the Fenway. Building on the initial seed money ($1M) that Northeastern has committed to contribute as part of the 840 Columbus Ave dorm community benefits, these additional funds will fortify our communities against the adverse impacts of institutional expansion by expanding opportunities for equitable wealth building through affordable homeownership.

3) Develop a meaningful PILOT agreement by negotiating in good faith with the City of Boston. 

Finally, we support the demands of the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Action Group. Boston’s voluntary PILOT program ensures that all wealthy, large non-profit institutions, like Northeastern, are contributing to the city for receiving city-funded services for its campus community. Northeastern owns over $1.4B in assessed property value and has consistently failed to follow through on requests for PILOT cash contributions. In FY2023, Northeastern paid only $1.9M, less than a third of the $6.2M that the city requested.

By fulfilling the community’s expectations highlighted in this petition, Northeastern would begin to rebuild trust and meaningful partnership with the community.