The construction of Pachyderm Place, Tufts’ new student apartments located across from the Medford/Tufts MBTA station on Boston Avenue, has made significant progress over the summer and is still on track to open in fall 2027, according to university officials and developers. Lease applications opened over the summer, with some students who applied receiving their unsigned leases.
Students can choose to live in a studio or in a two-, four- or six-person unit, all equipped with kitchens and individual bedrooms for each resident. Pachyderm Place, powered by renewable energy and operating without the use of fossil fuels, is a 100% electric building.
Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations, shared in a statement to the Daily that construction of the apartments “will enable the university to house more students on campus, thereby freeing local apartments for working families.”
Collins also emphasized that Pachyderm leases can be covered by financial aid. “Because the university meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted undergraduates, all students will be able to consider the new residence hall as a potential option,” he wrote.
Sophomore Nikita Desai, who recently signed a lease with Pachyderm, signed up for an early-access email list that would notify her before other students when the apartment applications opened.
“I heard about [the apartments] when I first got to Tufts, but vaguely because they were actively being constructed when I moved in freshman year,” Desai said. “I started considering them realistically as an option probably this past summer.”
In addition to the apartments, Collins highlighted that public safety measures are being installed along Boston Avenue, including new sidewalks and crosswalks as well as a Bluebikes station. These initiatives are in line with Somerville’s Vision Zero plan, which is intended to increase pedestrian safety.
Pachyderm Place marks the first time Tufts has built a residence hall through a public-private partnership. The apartments are affiliated with the university, but constructed and managed privately by Capstone Development Partners, a national student housing and campus facilities developer.
Jocelyn De La Rosa, portfolio sales and marketing manager for startups and transitions at Capstone Development Partners, said that Capstone considered how the construction of Pachyderm might affect the wider Medford/Somerville community. She shared that they engaged in extensive research before designing and building Pachyderm Place.
“I know [the designers] took a lot of feedback from not only the students but also what is needed in that specific area,” De La Rosa said. “They did a lot of research and communication prior to designing to make sure that it was something that not only benefits Tufts’ student life but also benefits the neighborhood.”
According to De La Rosa, the company has had a successful collaboration with Tufts on the project, allowing them to ensure accessibility and convenience for students.
“What’s great about [our collaboration] is we are able to have that on-campus convenience for everyone while we are right there on Boston Ave and then also allow for only Tufts students who are approved and able to live at the property, so it just creates a little bit more of that entire inclusivity with the school.”
De La Rosa also explained that for Capstone, creating university-affiliated but privately managed housing is a new concept.
“I liked being able to live in an apartment while still being close to campus, so I didn’t have to worry about car insurance and stuff like that because I’m already here,” Desai said. “And I didn’t want to go hunting for a lease in a house in the area, and touring. I thought, ‘If I can just be done, I’ll be done.’”
Although Pachyderm Place is like a traditional off-campus apartment in that it includes a lease and is not university-managed, De La Rosa explained that Capstone does feature a residence hall-style post-move-in process.
She emphasized that Capstone takes resident engagement very seriously.
“We really pride ourselves here at Capstone [in] creating an environment [that] students and residents are happy to call home,” she said. “We will be making sure that we reach out to everyone individually just to make sure that all their needs are met. We partner with third-party services to also make sure that all communications [are] being answered right away post move-in, and work orders too.”
