Mount Vernon Co. Opens $125M M-F Residence in Boston

By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor

The Mount Vernon Co. has developed The Edge, a new 79-unit multi-family property designed by Prellwitz Chilinski Associates, as the latest addition to the six-building, 500-unit Allston Green District in Boston.

“It’s part of the Allston Green District, which we are creating, and it will be the most environmentally sensitive apartment community in the Northeast,” Bruce Percelay, The Mount Vernon Co.’s chairman & president, told Commercial Property Executive. “Half of our tenants have indicated to us that part of their motivation for selecting this property is because of the green philosophy behind the buildings. It’s edgy, it’s cool.”

Designated as LEED Gold, The Edge features rooftop solar panels, an electric-car charging station and ample bike storage. The building includes a thermal barrier, high-performance glazing, soy-based insulation and an energy-efficient mechanical system with high-performance monitoring and control equipment.

“We are long-term players with a long-term vision, and we don’t build buildings for today, we build them for tomorrow,” Percelay said. “Living green is not a fad. Five years from now, people are still going to be concerned about reducing utilities cost and water consumption as much or more than they are now. We designed a building that contemplates the future.”

The design, materials and unit layouts of The Edge depart from the traditional four-story brick Boston apartment buildings. Each unit features floor-to-ceiling window systems, 10-foot ceilings and an open-floor plan.

The building’s design includes popular amenity and community spaces such as landscaped common areas with comfortable seating, an indoor-outdoor fitness center, high-tech lobby, theater room and a community grilling station on the terrace.

The Edge is the second new residence within the Green District, and the Mount Vernon Co. and PCA are currently working on Eco, the third Green District building scheduled for a 2014 opening. Eco will contain 108 units with a mix of studios and one bedrooms, a fitness center and a community roof deck.

Located along the Green Line connecting to the Back Bay and downtown, Allston was historically known for its pre-1940’s housing stock and low-cost student housing. The Edge and the Allston Green District are changing perceptions by capitalizing on the potential found in a previously under-appreciated Boston neighborhood.

“We really took some care with the aesthetic of this to try and honor some of that modular quality of what the older buildings looked like, but no one would mistake this for an older building,” David Chilinski, Prellwitz Chilinski’s director and the project architect, told CPE. “The materials on the outside are a combination of brick, metal shingle and fiber cement panel, which looks like natural finished wood. It looks like it’s part of today with some very modern character.”