Townhouse models open at Olmsted Green
One of the city’s most remarkable secrets is the new development of townhouse condominiums at Olmsted Green in the geographic heart of Boston, adjacent to Mass. Audubon’s Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, where Dorchester, Mattapan and Forest Hills converge.
It is nestled on 42 acres of wooded land, once part of the old Boston State Hospital, yet it is close to the Longwood Medical and Academic Area and the Forest Hills MBTA Orange Line and is a quick commute to Downtown.
“It’s Boston bordering Vermont,” said Richard Strachan, director of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s urban communities division.
Lena New Boston, a joint venture between the New Boston Fund and the Lena Park Community Development Corp., is developing the 42-acre site in phases, with a mix of townhouses and apartments and preserved open space that includes wetlands and 100-year-old trees.
The design team for the development includes ICON Architecture, the Rojas Group and Guzman Architects.
Serafin Sanchez of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s urban communities division and Tamika Burton-Shotwell, sales director of Burton Associates Real Estate, are marketing the townhouse condominiums, which are priced from the high $280,000s to the mid-$500,000s. Most are in the $420,000 range, said Sanchez.
The living room has been furnished in earth tones, like the leather chairs from Jordan’s Furniture. The ceiling height is 9 feet.
Fifteen attached townhouses presently are on the market, and two others have been furnished as models for prospective buyers to see how easily they could move in and turn the space into their home.
The residences are housed in three buildings; one has three units, another has nine condos and the third has seven attached homes.
In addition, foundations have been poured for the next phase of construction, set to begin next spring, said Sanchez.
When the first phase is completed, the development will have 72 townhouses and 51 apartments on roadways with names that give a nod to ornithologist John James Audubon, like Lark Dive, Hummingbird Lane, Blue Jay Circle and Oriole Drive.
The complete buildout calls for 287 condominiums, 153 apartments and a community center along with a 123-bed skilled nursing facility and 83 units of senior housing.
The emphasis of the development has been on sustainability, using recycled materials like Forest Council-certified lumber, carpeting made from recycled fibers and tiles created from recycled glass.
The exteriors have Hardiplank, a material that looks like clapboard and is made from cement fibers. The paints, both inside and out, have low VOCs or volatile organic compounds.
For energy efficiency, the residences have gas forced hot air and heat pumps, and the stainless steel kitchen appliances – a GE Profile refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and gas range – have high energy ratings as well.
The kitchen in this model unit has maple cabinetry, granite counters and stainless steel appliances.
The most common configuration is a home with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths on three levels, said Sanchez. The second floors have laundry hookups for a stacked washer/dryer.
It seems that there is more demand for darker wood floors, like maple rather than birch, and that there is a preference for decks, rather than patios, said Sanchez.
In the earth-tone model unit, the entry opens into a large living/dining room, which has a 9-foot ceiling. The floor planks are wide and continue though the first floor.
The kitchen is situated in the middle of the home and continues toward the dining area in the back, which has sliding French doors and a transom that looks out on the greensward.
The second floor features three carpeted bedrooms, including a master bedroom with three windows that look out onto the 65-acre nature preserve.
The master bath has a granite-topped vanity with two undermount sinks and a shower.
The second bath has a granite vanity and combination shower/tub. This home also has a den within its 1835-square-foot living space.
A multi-paned glass door with sidelights and a transom open onto a rear deck. All the homes have dedicated outdoor space. COURTESY PHOTOS / LENA NEW BOSTON
The attached townhouses range in size from 961 to 1,835 square feet and have either two or three bedrooms and two, two-and-a-half or three baths, and each has outside space, either a deck or a patio.
By creating a model, potential buyers will be able to see all that this sustainable community has to offer is residents, said Lisa Davis, vice president for the New Boston Fund.
“Our buyers will find value in our project with all of the nearby natural amenities, the convenience and savings of living in a transit-oriented community, and our customized buyer incentive and flexible financing packages complete with low mortgage rates” and low down payments, Davis said.
Olmsted Green will provide shuttles to and from the Forest Hills station, added Sanchez.
Olmsted Green takes its name from Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed the Emerald Necklace park system, which meanders through Boston from the Public Garden through the Fenway and Jamaica Plain to Dorchester, concluding with Franklin Park.
The sales center is open from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and from 1 to 3 p.m. Sundays and by appointment.
DETAILS
Address: Olmsted Green, 591 Morton St., Dorchester
BR/BA: Two- and three-bedroom units, with two, two-and-a-half or three baths
Age: 2007-2008
Price: From $280,000s to mid-$500,000s
Size: From 961 to 1,835 square feet
Close by: Mass. Audubon Boston Nature Center, Forest Hills Cemetery, Arnold Arboretum, Franklin Park golf course, Zoo New England, Longwood Medical and Academic Area; Forest Hills MBTA Orange Line and bus routes.
Contact: Serafin Sanchez, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 591 Morton St., Dorchester, MA 02124. Phone: 617-296-6025. Or, Tamika Burton, Burton Associates Real Estate, 392A Warren St., Roxbury, MA 02119. Phone: 617 287-0240. Web site: www.OlmstedGreen.com.
There will be an open house at this property Sunday, Nov. 30, from 1 to 4 p.m.
