Photo by Roberto Farren | Courtesy of Berkeley Investments
Brighton’s newest apartment property has opened its doors in time for the all-important Sept. 1 move-in date, and some of its new residents could get lucky.
The Berkeley Investments-developed building at 46 Soldiers Field Place, dubbed “The Charley,” is offering two months’ free rent on “select units,” its website states. Ordinarily, rents range from $2,490 to $4,999 per month depending on the unit, an announcement from the developer said.
The 103-unit, 6-story building comes with amenities like in-unit washers and driers, WiFi-enabled appliances and heating and cooling controls, a dog park, and a fitness center with high-tech equipment like a Peleton bike and a “virtual fitness mirror” – like a Peleton bike in concept where trainers virtually guide users through a workout, except used for non-bicycle exercise and weight training classes.
In addition, some units have good views of the Charles River and the Arsenal Yards development from their balconies, and downtown Boston’s towers are visible peeking over the skyline from its roofdeck.
“The Charley was designed and modeled to offer a pet-friendly, boutique living experience, ” Kevin Longo, Berkeley’s development and asset manager, said in a statement. “Our location, with easy access to major roadways like Soldiers Field Road and Memorial Drive, along with nearby public transportation and trails, is a major draw for residents who work and maintain an active and flourishing lifestyle in the general vicinity.”
The building comes to market amid flickers of uncertainty about multifamily demand in traditional student hotspots like Allston, Brighton and Mission Hill. Market-watchers say the Trump administration’s immigration policies, its efforts to slash funding for biomedical research and its high-profile battle with Harvard University appear to be suppressing the numbers of international students showing up in the city’s incredibly tight apartment market.
“In this market where competition is strong, many new developments are offering incentives like this as part of the initial lease-up phase in order to get more residents in as quickly as possible. This is a win-win for both renters (requires less investment up front on their part) and developers who seek tenant retention over a longer period of time,” Longo said in an email to Banker & Tradesman, adding that “yes indeed, people are taking advantage of this attractive offer” and that “[t]he response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
The Höweler + Yoon, OJB and VMY-designed project received Boston Planning & Development Agency board approval in 2021 and was financed by Salem Five Bank.
It’s part of a cluster of multifamily buildings rising in place of assorted low-rise office and biotech space tucked between the Leo Birmingham Parkway and Soldiers Field Road highways and a stone’s throw from the NB Development’s Boston Landing project and its associated MBTA commuter rail station.
The first building completed in the cluster, 1550 on the Charles, sold to investors for $145 million in 2022. Nordblom Co. secured city approval for the most recent project in the cluster, a 333-unit, 7-story affair on the site of a former radio station, in July.
