From BostInno’s Faneuil Hall headquarters, it cost me about a $19 Uberx trip – with heavy traffic. Located in Chelsea, on the other side of Route 1, stands One North of Boston, home to 230 luxury units, which are quickly being filled by young Boston professionals.
This burgeoning crop of 25- to 35-year-olds have been priced out of South Boston – the Innovation District – and have sprung for digs in neighboring Somerville, Brookline and Cambridge. Until recently, Chelsea had been off the average mid-20-something’s radar. However, One North, sandwiched between the highway and an aging collection of homes, offers luxury living that young professional can actually afford.
Tuesday afternoon, One North developers Kyle Warwick and Damian Szary let me tag along for a tour of this five-story Chelsea gem.
Over the course of an hour, I got chance to check out a 700-square-foot unit, apartment 203, and snap a few pictures of everything else One North offers – and will eventually offer – its tenants.
The navy blue pool table in the club suite had me craving a cigar and bottle of cognac – which I don’t even drink. The private screening room made me want to kick-back and watch SportsCenter reruns for three hours straight. And a walk through of the not-yet-completed, on-site doggie day care facility had me wishing I could trade places with my spoiled, four-legged friend.
But, what made me consider whipping out my checkbook and putting down a deposit on one of the luxury units was the pricing. For $1,560, I could have rented a 700-square-foot luxury unit, less than a quarter-mile away from a MBTA Commuter Rail station; I could’ve experienced the high-class lifestyle that’s all the rage in Boston for half the cost. (See correction, below.)
Szary said One North, as a whole, offers “The Million Dollar apartment [young professionals] can afford.” It’s statements like that which make it obvious why 75 percent of One North units are already off the market.
Despite its glamour, One North isn’t trying to appeal to old-money tenants. With an average age of 27, its tenants are part of Boston’s wealth of young professionals, migrating out of the The Hub and into digs that won’t break the bank.
Feel free to experience…
