Quarterra Begins Construction in Boston

Boston. Photo by Todd Kent via Unsplash

Quarterra Multifamily, a subsidiary of Lennar Corp., has begun construction on a 256-unit community in Boston’s Allston, Mass., neighborhood. Harper, located at 40 Rugg Road, is designed to achieve a LEED Gold certification.

The community will include two rooftop decks, 2,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 11,000 square feet of green space. Resident amenities include a clubroom with a fireplace lounge, co-working spaces, a private conference room, an artist studio and bike storage rooms. There is also a fully automated parking garage on the property.

Studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments in Harper range from 450 square feet to 1,120 square feet. Eight units are designated artist studios. Select floorplans include movable kitchen islands, while all homes feature keyless entry.

According to Yardi Matrix data, 34 of the units are affordable. Construction on Harper is anticipated to be completed in late 2023.

Location, location, location

The Allston neighborhood, named after poet and painter Washington Allston, is home to music venues, public art, dining and retail options and sports venues. Harper is in proximity to Fenway Park, Warrior Ice Arena, the Track at New Balance multisport facility and the Auerbach Center. Nearby cultural sites include the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Public Library’s Honan-Allston Branch and the annual Allston Village Street Fair. Outdoor space accessible to Harper’s residents includes Magazine Beach, Mansfield Street Dog Park, Artesani Wading Pool and Spray Deck, Penniman Road Play Area and the Arsenal Community Park.

A quarter-mile away from Harper is the Allston Yards mixed-use development with a 67,000 square foot flagship Stop & Shop grocery store and 50,000 square feet of retail space.

The student demographic of Allston is growing as the area is in proximity to Harvard University, Tufts University, Boston University, Boston College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to Boston by the Numbers 2020 report, young adults make up more than 80 percent of the population in Allston.

Employers in the Boston Landing development, located less than half a mile from Harper, include New Balance headquarters, Prosteostasis Therapeutics, Mass Innovation Labs, Roche Diagnostics and WGBH-TV. The Athenahealth headquarters and Longwood Medical Area are also in proximity.

Fenway and the financial district are accessible via the Boston Landing MBTA commuter rail station. The train also provides access to Longwood, Back Bay and South Station. The community has connectivity to the greater Boston area through Interstate 90 and the Harvard Avenue Station of the MBTA Green light rail station.

Harper is Quarterra’s second Massachusetts community, following Artemas, which is located in Everett. The company also recently topped off a property in South Carolina. The Cormac, located in Charleston, is a 303-unit asset featuring 13,086 square feet of restaurant and retail space.