Single young professionals, newly married couples and empty nesters are using public transportation to expand the definition of “urban” when it comes to apartment living.
Now, it is the connection to the city as much as the city itself that matters when searching for a place to live. Where the hunt for apartments near Boston workplaces was once concentrated literally in urban neighborhoods, now just as often, the searchers trace the tracks of commuter rail lines to find homes close to the office.
At SouthField, the rapidly growing community taking shape at the site of the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station in Weymouth, Rockland and Abington, we are seeing a flood of interest in our homes precisely because they offer a neighborhood, community feel within walking distance of a short rail ride to Boston.
Growing urban rental rates have residents of all ages migrating out of Boston for value and a sense of connection. There is a craving among young professionals and empty nesters alike to maintain the connectivity that city living offers. SouthField provides a healthy place to live, work, shop and play, and allows residents to enjoy the space and freedom that suburban living creates.
The dense urban living feel of SouthField, along with its on-site MBTA commuter rail station and new parkway to Route 3, have drawn urban dwellers to the master-planned community which will feature, at full build-out, 2,855 units of housing options and 2 million square feet of commercial and retail space.
SouthField’s design also includes more than 1,000 acres of neighborhood parks and dedicated open space, a links style golf course, and a $30 million indoor/outdoor sports and recreation complex.
First Residents Arriving
Residents have just started to move in to The Commons at SouthField Highlands, a community of 226 apartment homes and 8,700 square feet of first-floor retail space. It is located at SouthField Highlands, SouthField’s first residential neighborhood, and is only a short walk to the on-site South Weymouth commuter rail station — just two stops by train to South Station in downtown Boston.
“We chose SouthField because the combination of transit-oriented development and the excitement surrounding this new and vibrant community is unmatched anywhere in New England,” said Rick High, president of John M. Corcoran & Co. the Braintree developer of the Corcoran apartment community.
The Corcoran apartment community features 226 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment homes, a fitness center, swimming pool, community room, game room and indoor parking. In keeping with the “green” vision of SouthField, Corcoran intends to certify the apartment homes with the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy Efficient Design requirements.
Transit Oriented Development is, by its very nature, green, and is a key tenet of every smart growth strategy. SouthField, and developments like it along our T lines and bus routes, cuts down on road congestion, auto emissions and the stress of long, clogged commutes.
City Living In Suburbs
In addition to easing the commute for residents, many developers design space for on-site retail and office growth in order to create a city-like, walkable lifestyle within the community, creating an energy efficient environment.
These green communities, along with apartment complexes and developments like The Commons at SouthField, allow residents to feel a tie to the city without the price tag and cramped living space. Suburban complexes with on-site amenities, retail and office space create a city living feel, and transit oriented designs allow residents to feel as though they aren’t completely without the benefits that only city living can provide.
These suburban complexes, which are popping up all over the commonwealth, are designed with the urban dweller in mind.
