{"id":14509,"date":"2016-02-02T05:00:57","date_gmt":"2016-02-02T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=14509"},"modified":"2016-02-02T13:06:53","modified_gmt":"2016-02-02T21:06:53","slug":"neighborhood-transformed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/neighborhood-transformed\/","title":{"rendered":"Neighborhood Transformed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Extravagance and environmentalism don\u2019t seem like natural soulmates\"Boston\"<\/a>, but in Boston a new set of developments seamlessly combines the amenities and modern sensibilities of today\u2019s luxury living with eco-conscious construction. The result? Affordable, eco-conscious community housing for Boston\u2019s middle class that\u2019s been dubbed the \u201cGreen District.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brainchild of developer Bruce Percelay, the \u201cGreen District\u201d sits at the intersection of Brainerd Road and Redford Street in an area of Boston commonly known as Allston. Conceived as an enormous 500-units housing project with an initial cost of $125 million, the Green District<\/a> consists of six buildings \u2013 The Element, The EDGE, Eco, The Metro, The Matrix, and The Gateway \u2013 designed for sustainable living.<\/p>\n

The Green District began to take shape in 2012, just after the real estate market crashed and most developers were playing it safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI bet the farm,\u201d Percelay admits in an interview with the Boston Globe<\/a>, but the wager paid off \u2013 the three new buildings were sold to the National Development of Newton for $150mil in 2014, with Percelay initially managing the properties. National Development took over the administration of three Green District buildings \u2013 the Element, Edge and Eco \u2013 earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Residents moving into Green District flats will be privy to a slew of environmentally friendly features, from recycled materials to energy and water efficient fixtures and appliances. Outfitted with solar panels, low-flow fixtures, and other green amenities, the Eco, Edge and Element are all LEED certified and priced 30-50% below the city\u2019s high-end developments.<\/p>\n

Though the rents are lower than most high-end rentals, the amenities are on par with what you\u2019d expect at the most luxurious apartments: gym, rooftop decks, a movie lounge, pet-grooming stations and even a putting green. Priced in a range that starts at $1,700 for a studio and hits a high of a little over $3000 for a 2bedroom\/2bath apartment, Green District rents are about on par with Boston\u2019s average rent of $2200-2700 for similarly sized living spaces.<\/p>\n

The development is also designed to foster a sense of community among its inhabitants, encouraging resident brunches, and offering free yoga classes. Renters can also partake of on-site dry cleaning pick-up, bike storage, and easy access to Boston\u2019s mass transit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love our unit,\u201d declares one Yelp reviewer<\/a> of The Edge, \u201cgorgeous floor to ceiling windows with custom blinds, very nice layouts and fixtures, and a sharp modern look. \u00a0Nothing feels cheap or Ikea-esque. Definitely the closest to having a “home” that I’ve come to in my years of renting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cManagement has been pretty great and very, very responsive,\u201d adds another Yelper, \u201cthey get back to you immediately and repairs are made ASAP (same day or next morning). \u00a0They seem to genuinely care that you are happy with your unit and the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the all the extras and bonus activities, the development\u2019s commitment to the environment is readily apparent. Denizens of the ECO, the Green District\u2019s platinum LEED homage to European design apartments, must sign a \u201cGreen Declaration\u201d as part of their lease, stating that they are committed to energy and water efficiency, along with recycling, alternative transportation, and \u201cother eco-conscious practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

From inception, one thing was clear: sustainability sells. The project\u2019s first building, the Element, opened on July 1, 2012, with 70 percent of the 100 units already rented.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most environmentally sensitive building in the country won\u2019t work if the tenants won\u2019t work with it,\u201d Percelay told the Boston Globe<\/a> back in 2012. \u201cYou want tenants who understand the philosophy. Our belief is that by creating the awareness, you attract tenants who care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in the unusual situation where we controlled a neighborhood,\u201d he elaborated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to do something different, set a new standard. The green movement is here to stay<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Extravagance and environmentalism don\u2019t seem like natural soulmates, but in Boston a new set of developments seamlessly combines the amenities and modern sensibilities of today\u2019s luxury living with eco-conscious construction. The result? Affordable, eco-conscious community housing for Boston\u2019s middle class that\u2019s been dubbed the \u201cGreen District.\u201d The brainchild of developer Bruce Percelay, the \u201cGreen District\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":14513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[289,1369,41,1370,426,134,76],"class_list":["post-14509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-apartments","tag-boston","tag-development","tag-green-district","tag-housing","tag-real-estate","tag-technology-2"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Extravagance and environmentalism don\u2019t seem like natural soulmates, but in Boston a new set of developments seamlessly combines the amenities and modern\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/neighborhood-transformed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Neighborhood Transformed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Extravagance and environmentalism don\u2019t seem like natural soulmates, but in Boston a new set of developments seamlessly combines the amenities and modern\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/neighborhood-transformed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Yardi Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-02-02T13:00:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-02-02T21:06:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2016\/02\/Boston.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1064\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"705\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cutright Elizabeth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cutright Elizabeth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/neighborhood-transformed\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/neighborhood-transformed\/\",\"name\":\"Neighborhood Transformed - 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