DeKALB | The ground-breaking ceremony for the $20 million Northern View Community will take place today at 1 p.m. in the Convocation Center parking lot C3.

The Northern View Community is NIU’s answer to a growing population of married students, students with children and other non-traditional students. The community will have a total of 120 units, most of the units having three bedrooms.

The new facility marks an important step in NIU’s history of buildings; this will be the first new housing facility built on campus in 38 years. The Northern View Community will replace the existing Married Student Housing facilities, which are not meeting the demand of students and are also outdated, said Brian Hemphill, NIU’s vice president for Student Affairs.

The Married Student Housing building is expected to be razed after the new facility is completed. Those currently living in Married Student Housing will have the option of living in the Northern View Community upon its completion.

The community center at Northern View will feature a computer lab, two study rooms, three offices, a large game room, a play room and playground for children and a roofed outdoor patio area.

The apartments will be in six buildings surrounding a grassy commons area with two picnic areas. Each apartment will be equipped with a washer and dryer, dishwasher, full kitchen and Internet access. All bedrooms in each apartment are at least 10-by-10 feet. The apartments will not be furnished.

“When you talk about this population, they generally have their own furniture,” Hemphill said.

In an effort to provide furniture for those students who may not have certain pieces, executive director of Housing and Dining Kelly Wesener said she hopes to provide furniture through a rental company. Furniture rental would be added to apartment rent, which would all be billed through the bursar’s office.

The apartment rates are expected to be comparable to DeKalb apartments, but exact figures have not yet been configured, Hemphill said. Rent would include all utilities except for telephone service.

Northern View Community will be built through a public-private partnership between NIU and Collegiate Development Services. Collegiate Development Services is a nonprofit organization based in Texas that offers development services to colleges. This partnership allows the construction of the community without NIU having to use funding from the state or students.

Northern View Community will be managed by NIU Housing and Dining, but will be owned by Collegiate Development for the duration of the 32-year lease, at which time NIU will take ownership.

Carlene Eck is a Campus Reporter for the Northern Star.