UC Riverside opened its newest student residential community Saturday, Aug. 23, welcoming close to 250 students from Riverside Community College District, or RCCD.

They were the first to move into North District 2, which was completed after 22 months of construction last month. In a first-of-a-kind partnership, the complex will include community college and UCR students living side by side.

The 415,000-square-foot complex features 429 furnished units with 1,568 beds in two apartment-style buildings with amenities that include a gym, laundry facilities, two large courtyards with games and benches, and a central park with a trail. North District 2 has 652 beds at below-market rents, splitting them between UCR students and RCCD students.

RCCD students moved into their rooms a couple days before the start of their fall semester on Monday, Aug. 25. UCR students will move in Sept. 19 and 20 before the start of the fall quarter.

Joined by friends and family members, RCCD students lined up in the parking lot to collect the keys to their room, using carts to move in their belongings. RCCD Chancellor Wolde-Ab Isaac and several other district leaders welcomed students, joined by the Riverside Tiger, the mascot of Riverside City College, or RCC.

Twin sisters Sara and Stephanie Brittin, both 18 and first-year RCC students, said they became interested in applying for North District housing when they first learned about the project a year ago.

“I’m very excited,” Sara Brittin said. “It’s a great opportunity for community college students to feel like a part of university life.”

The two sisters are a couple doors away from each other in the same building and a short drive from their Loma Linda-based parents, Paul and Elisa Brittin, who helped them move in.

“Everything is nice and new,” Elisa Brittin said. “Everybody is so welcoming.”

Several RCCD and UCR groups were on hand to assist students as they checked in. Housing Services staff applauded as they handed each student an envelope with their key and R’Card that will allow RCCD students access to various campus resources.

UCR Dining Services welcomed students with free boba while RCCD officials ordered pizza for lunch. Student Life handed out stuffed animals for students to make. Several more welcome activities were planned for the week ahead. 

Marcus Medina, 19, a third-year RCC student marveled at the size of his room and said he was looking forward to trying out the gym. Even better, he will no longer have to commute an hour each way from his brother’s home in Hemet to RCC.

“It’s going to be a lot better than waking up two hours before class,” he said.

Jade Mackey, 19, a first-year RCC student from Loma Linda, said moving into North District is “an opportunity to live the college life but close to home.”

Her mother, Genine Mangosing, said she was pleased her daughter would be living in a safe area close to campus.

“I feel like it’s a great place for her to be in a college setting and grow as a young woman,” she said.

The campus will celebrate the opening of the new residential community with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 29.