Core Spaces is planning a significant expansion of its student housing portfolio near the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with three new purpose-built communities slated to add more than 3,500 beds between 2028 and 2031. The planned projects will build on the company's established presence around the campus and further concentrate its holdings in this student-focused corridor.
The developer first entered the Champaign market in 2020 with the development of Hub Champaign, followed by Hub Champaign Daniel in 2021. Both communities are currently owned and managed by Core, giving the firm an operating track record and existing leasing platform at UIUC that it can leverage as new product comes online.
Core continued to grow its local footprint in 2025 through the acquisition of multiple properties along Green Street, a key thoroughfare serving the university area. These acquisitions expanded the firm's control of a prominent student housing corridor and set the stage for additional ground-up development under its Hub on Campus brand.
Construction is already underway on one of the new projects, Hub Champaign Green Street. Core broke ground on the community in fall 2025, launching a 490-unit, 1,577-bed purpose-built student housing development along the Green Street corridor. The scale of the project underscores the firm's conviction in long-term housing demand tied to the university.
Hub Champaign Green Street is scheduled to deliver in summer 2028, positioning the property to be operational in time for the 2028–29 academic year. The timeline aligns new supply with the university's leasing cycle and adds a large tranche of beds to the market in a single academic year.
Beyond this initial project, Core has indicated that it plans to further expand its Hub on Campus platform along Green Street with additional purpose-built student housing developments. While detailed plans and delivery dates for the remaining projects have not yet been specified, the broader program represents a multi-year buildout that will continue to reshape the student housing landscape near UIUC.
By combining prior developments, recent acquisitions and a new wave of ground-up projects, Core Spaces is working to create a scaled, branded student housing cluster in Champaign that is closely tied to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus and its primary pedestrian corridors.
