By David Bates
1/15/16
National Development – the Boston area development company that brought you Ink Block and the same company that saw more value in Allston’s Green District than any other bidder – capped a successful 2015 by opening Chroma, a 96-unit ground up low rise apartment building in Cambridgeport. Jessica Buonopane, Vice President of Residential Properties for National, told me the 96 units at Chroma mean that National Development now has more than 2,000 units in the Hub. Not bad, considering they got into residential development only about 10 years ago with a project in Worcester.
John Felix, Chroma’s Project Manager, said one of the goals was to have the apartment building fit in to the neighborhood. To that end, on the side of Chroma where there are three story buildings, Chroma has three stories. On the side where there are four story buildings, Chroma has four stories. Buonopane said the designers also wanted to “harness the whole idea of Cambridge with the pocket parks.” So, Chroma’s entrance is set back in a way that mirrors the pocket park directly across street.
Many new Cambridge apartment buildings are in locations that were previously non-residential neighborhoods, like Alewife, a hotbed for some fantastic new apartment buildings such as Fuse Cambridge. Yet, that area in particular is so far removed from the parts of Cambridge most commonly called to mind that it was recently referred to in the Cambridge Tab as “Alewife Island.” Other new Cambridge apartment buildings are on main streets, like Mass Ave. However, Felix says that one of the main benefits of Chroma is its presence in a “more intimate neighborhood”; Chroma is located in an area dense with wood framed triple-deckers. Although it’s a location somewhat under the radar, it nearly abuts historic Fort Washington Park – a park which Wikipedia indicates “was built by soldiers of the continental army under the orders of George Washington” in 1775. Only blocks from the Charles River, it is a surprisingly easy walk from Chroma to BU, MIT, or Central and Kendall Squares.
The brand new Chroma has all the prerequisite features of a modern Cambridge apartment building, such as more bike parking than car parking, a community lounge, a pet grooming area, 24 hour gym, and even a roof deck with some great views. But frankly, the finishes in these common spaces are not to the extent you see in apartment buildings in more remote locations where developers are effective at showing prospective tenants that they will get “more bright and shiny” for the money. Chroma’s finishes are also not as luxurious as you might get in more sizable doorman buildings. But in my humble opinion, established convenient locations don’t need finishes that impress to sell because they have locations that impress. According to Walk Score, Chroma’s location is very walkable, a biker’s paradise, and has excellent transit options.
Apartments at Chroma have vinyl plank floors, high ceilings, kitchens with open shelving, recycled glass backsplashes, and stoves that vent outside. Buonopane told me that rents at Chroma start at $2400 for studios and end at $4700 for three bedroom townhouse style apartments. She is quick to point out, “So we think we’re at a little bit of a slight discount to some of the high rises in Kendall.” Kendall is an area that Chroma competes with for tenants, but which a focus group told the developers was more corporate and had less vibrancy and night life than Chroma’s nearby Central Square.
Buonopane told me, “We keep that fun eclectic Cambridge-y feel to the building and we don’t take ourselves too seriously.“ Knowing that Chroma is currently offering a free month’s rent and offering to pay the broker’s fee, making it easier for folks to move there, I’m inclined to think they will fit right into the neighborhood as well.
Full article here.