Back when Northland was just a twinkle in an architect’s eye. Back when Riverside was just a deal that fell through. Before Riverdale and Washington Place and Dunstan East. Before Right Size Newton and Voters for a Vibrant Newton. At a time when many housing activists on both sides of the debate were first cutting their teeth and getting their bearings at City Hall.
First, there was Austin Street. Which at the time, depending on your perspective, was a modest proposal to begin creating new housing in Newton or an eyesore that would snarl traffic to a halt, shutter small businesses, and gentrify the neighborhood.
So here we are. We watched the green boxes go up, and then disappear beneath brick and siding. The building is built. Residents (all? some?) having been living in their apartments long enough, perhaps, to call them home. The coming soon signs are on storefronts, hiring employees, and stocking the shelves.
Now that we’re (basically) at the finish line, it seems like an appropriate time to ask: What do you think?
- Did traffic get worse? Were you expecting it to?
- Is the parking adequate? Full? Convenient?
- Are the small businesses in the area thriving? Did they make it through the construction period alright?
- Has the neighborhood gentrified? Is it an eyesore? Was it better than you expected?
- Are the public spaces more than you expected? Less? Do you use the benches, the bike racks, or the playground?
Does anyone have demographic information on the “affordable apartments”?? That was a key selling point for the project. That information should be publicly available. Thanks.
Can we add to the questions….how did the allocation of affordable apartments go? Who moved in? Did we provide homes for Newton employees, elderly residents of Newton? Young people who grew up here? Did we achieve racial diversity? How many children were added to the public schools.? I see there are 14 units still available for rent and that they are now offering a free one months rent if you sign a lease quickly. Why is that? Are they not finding there is enough of a market for the units? If so, is it because of price? Location? Not being tbe right mix? What can we learn?
I only go there rarely but my opinion is that the building is unattractive and that parking is slightly more difficult.
Since you comparing Austin st to northland. Should we expect 2br rents to also be in the range $4500 to $5800 at Northland?
https://www.apartments.com/28-austin-newton-ma/c0r3k9d/
I guess only a token few get to pay affordable rents(subsidizd by the unfortunate folks paying crazy market rents). Just enough affordable units to assauge any liberal guilt
@Bugek – Austin Street is 33% affordable, which is actually a huge proportion. Northland is 17.5%, the minimum yes, but an ambitious minimum which we recently raised from 15%. If you look statewide, that number is very aggressive.
I’m also going to tell my serendipitous tale. I was at Brewer’s Coalition with a friend recently and he bumped into an old college pal. Turns out this pal had just moved into an affordable apartment in Newton and has been working for the City of Newton. I cannot tell you how thrilled they were to have gotten accepted for a unit that, to them, was a lifeline and a chance to live in the community they work in that they otherwise wouldn’t have had. By the way, they also walk to work.
The problem I had with Austin Street is the same problem I had with the Public Schools that were sold off in the eighties. City property sold or leased to private developers/companies because it was deemed surplus.
We could of really used those schools instead of the numerous modular classrooms the city had to buy over the years. We could of really used Austin Street for a new Senior Center.
I hope the city has learn a lesson and does not repeat the lease/sale/swapping of city property in the future.
I am still not crazy about the size/aesthetics of Austin Street but Washington Place (Trio Luxury Apartments) is better than a mish-mash of dilapidated buildings.
I also wish both developments were really affordable for those who work for the city and seniors. Sub $3K rents for a two bedroom would go a long way.
I miss Karoun’s and Newtonville Camera.
It feels a few months premature to make a really good first assessment. Once Caffe Nero opens and the weather turns nice, I predict the whole street will spring to life. People will not only wonder what the fuss was all about but why we took so long to build this.
@Buget and Matt: Market rate apartments will go for, big surprise, market rate! Prices will go down when supply increases. We have a long way to go before we even begin to address our housing inventory crisis.
Also Matt: Building more housing is one important part of addressing traffic. We need places for people to live near jobs, near public transit and near amenities to curtail long commutes and get folks out of their cars.
@bryan, I respect what you’re trying to do. I really do!
But as proven in San Francisco, Seattle, New York…anywhere experiencing tremendous job growth…building more cannot outpace demand…and what we’re left with is LOTS of high rate apartments that most can not afford. It’s like fighting a pandemic with aspirin.
Not willing to throw away the Village-centric that is Newton, based on maybes. Address traffic, schools and increased needs FIRST, and I could be convinced. Until then, blind faith is not enough.
I believe Austin Street is not yet even half rented. At least when I drive by it seems very dark still, especially the the apartments that face Austin Street. So I think it’s too early to tell anything yet about parking etc. and the star market spaces are still available, so that parking hasn’t been removed from the pool.
This post is too early, Bryan.
Regarding pricing- the simplistic model of build more – price will come down ( enough) is just that- simplistic. The price is elastic only to a point. Besides, it’s already – by definition- affordable. If they can fill the units, then someone can afford them, which makes the “affordable”.
If they have to lower the price too much, then it’s not “affordable” to the developer, and they will lose money. Austin Street has posted their prices. I heard they have already lowered them from the initial offer. How much margin is there for them to come down in price even more? I don’t know, but it’s probably not too much.
@greg, market rate should could down with more supply, but where has this ever actually happened? Not San Francisco, Seattle, New York, nor Chicago.
As for traffic, you assume public transit gets better and businesses sets up shop right here in Newton. There’s been no substantive evidence that either will happen.
Is it worth letting developers rip apart the fabric of our towns and villages without anything to gain in return (other than lining their pockets)? I say no, sir!
@Matt: There are thousands of jobs here in Newton and employers say the lack of housing is impeding their success.
Meanwhile, 85 percent of Newton residents commute outside of Newton daily while 89 percent of people who work in Newton commute in. Lower both, or even one of those percentages, and I guarantee you we have less traffic.
Greg, is there one iota of evidence that government efforts to create “affordable housing” (in quotes because it is unclear that these policies increase lower priced housing stock) lower the percentage of people who commute into a city or lower the percentage of people who commute out of a city?
By the way, I bet I can find a study that shows that increasing density increases traffic congestion.
Full spectrum software, In Southboro, one of the places I consult for, has been trying to staff up for a year now. Hiring is tough everywhere Greg. It’s not necessarily housing- it’s a hot economy. The companies willing and able to pay more will get hires. If supply of workers is low, why is it that your magic marketplace doesn’t raise wages enough to allow people to live in Newton? Could it be that the price they would have to pay workers won’t let them make a profit? Nor will the price of apartment go low enough to allow the restaurant to get their workforce. Could it be that simply supply demand curves are just that – too simple? Some hotels bus in workers from low income areas, maybe the Newton businesses should consider bussing in workers from say Lowell to work in restaurants if they can’t raise wages enough. Raise wages and see what happens.
Rick: Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the folks struggling to do the hiring.
I agree with Greg’s comment that it’s too early to tell, particularly with regard to businesses. Let’s hope George Howell survives Nero’s opening … I also agree with Arthur’s comment that learning the demographics and occupancy rate is an important component of determining this place’s “success.”
I used to park in the old lot and go to the stores such as the shoe store (which is now gone) and the coffee shop. I stopped going – I don’t like the parking now and I think the building is unattractive and it feels less open. That’s just my opinion on the parking and the look of the building. I’ve been going to The Square instead now for coffee and shopping- it feels more open and airy and I like the parking.
Aesthetically I think the building would have looked better if it was one story taller. Just sayin’
Fake Brick, Plastic Clapboards, views of the Star Market Parking Lot, the Turnpike and an even larger out of scale fake brick sham does not in my mind make for an attractive place to plunk down $5000 a month for a 1000sf stacked mobile home.
“ Affordable Senior Retirement Housing”? This is a joke !!!
Yet this is what we can expect from current Real Estate Development!
And we should vote YES ???
I come baring great news Bill: You don’t have to live there
But you shouldn’t be able to stop people who want to live here that they can’t.
I think this post is too early by a few months. Without the commercial space, the project isn’t open fully.
My entire family is looking forward to Cafe Nero. If anything like their other stores, there are comfortable seating areas and chairs. Starbucks and George Howell have small seating areas and limited comfortable options, if any. Also, I’m hoping and assuming that the next door park will have outdoor seating and tables.
I have a lot of positive and negative thoughts on the end result, but I’m going to share them once the two stores are open, and the full lease up occurs.
But I do think it is valuable to have a open and honest conversation about Austin Street so we can learn from the process.
To those saying it is too early, well noted, I’ll make sure to re-start this thread when we’ve had a chance to sit with it fully open for a bit.
I think that space should have been used as the Senior Center rather than high priced apartments. I think that the traffic has not changed since they started the project, that said traffic got worse at the start and has not dissipated. The parking is inadequate, hard to find, not senior-friendly. I don’t think that the small businesses have thrived, I don’t see any other small businesses coming into the area that is going to be on the level of affordability that was there before. As there is difficulty in finding parking, use of the public spaces, benches, bike racks, or the playground is hindered.
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I live between Newton Centre and Chestnut Hill, but I’m frequently in Newtonville. I bank over there, shop at Star and enjoy the Rox. I was a critic of the Austin Street deal until Amy Sangiolo beat up the developer for 6 additional affordable units at the last minute. That turned a so/so deal into a very good deal for the city, and I supported it enthusiastically. I’m glad I did, because I was very impressed with the way the developer handled everything during construction, and I’m delighted with the outcome. It was a shining example of the benefits that come through tough negotiations with developers.
@Bryan– I am bothered by one of your comments above…
“Austin Street is 33% affordable, which is actually a huge proportion. Northland is 17.5%, the minimum, yes, but an ambitious minimum which we recently raised from 15%.”
What the heck is an “ambitious minimum”???
17.5% affordable is pathetically low for a project the size and scope of Northland. 15% would have been criminal. I understand that you support a Yes vote at Northland, and I do too . But suggesting that the City did a good job negotiating the affordable percentage at Northland is misleading. It lets poorly performing elected officials off the hook, and lowers the bar for other developers of future projects in Newton.
I encourage people to vote Yes on Northland, because it’s far better for Newton than the alternative. But everyone should acknowledge that city “leaders” left a lot of value on the table with this deal.
I don’t think any of the hyped up “horrors” have occurred in Newtonville or will when it’s completed. I do agree that it is too early to tell about some things but I didn’t notice any of the predicted problems during construction.
I can’t imagine paying that much in rent there but evidently those moving in can and do. I have never liked the tiny boxes architecture that’s been going up everywhere I go. The problem with getting something aesthetically pleasing is that the builders who specialize in blending old with new or creatively design buildings to add to their surroundings is they can’t afford to take the chances required to go through Newton’s expensive and lengthy process and perhaps end up with a project that’s not feasible.
So the only builders who can afford to gamble and go through the 2-3 year process are either wealthy Newton resident developers, Robert Korf, Scott Orin, or large corporations located in Newton like Northland. Others have tried but eventually had to pull out when either it became too expensive to continue or it took so long to get a special permit that the market rate rent they proposed was no longer viable. Riverside was first attempted by Normandy but had to be bought out by Mark Development headed by Robert Korf who then had to haggle in the dark with Right Size and was able to persuade the MBTA to take a sizable amount of acreage out of the deal so he could continue.
Plus comparing Northland’s project to 28 Austin Street doesn’t make sense. Northland’s look and feel of a community with substantial amenities just outside your door is much more appealing and to me much more for your money.
@Mike Striar – Maybe I wasn’t clear. What I meant is that 17.5% is an ambitious citywide minimum. I believe that is the highest inclusionary zoning minimum in the state.
Could Northland have gone to a higher percent, without sacrificing other public benefits? I don’t know, but I do trust that the City Council got the best deal they felt they reasonably could get.
@Bryan– It’s not a question of whether or not the “City Council got the best deal they felt they could reasonably get,” as you put it. The real question is, did they have the right priorities while they were negotiating on behalf of the City? It is apparent from the low percentage at Northland that affordable housing was not a priority for the City Council.
As I mentioned before, I agree with your position that people should vote Yes on the upcoming referendum. But I think it’s foolish to suggest that the City Council actually negotiated a good deal. Unfortunately now for the people of Newton, we are forced to vote in favor of a mediocre project because the consequences of voting No are too severe.