![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
walkitoutNew England is infamous for giving directions to place via ex-landmarks, which is what that subject line is intended to convey. Also, I've blogged before about the little blue house and how T. and I saw it torn down and the site increasingly reduced: first the trees gone, then down to the really big rocks and R. says they've drilled holes for blasting.
While a permit has obviously been posted, I haven't stopped to look at it, particularly since T. has decided he'd rather take a different route home. But a big sign went up, which led me to this website:
http://sarahjanecourt.com/
The front page is (I think) a flash slideshow, starting with "Similar to Be Built" photos of townhomes, followed by pictures of the strip mall across the street (including the excellent Not Your Average Joe's) and conspicuously not showing the gas station immediately across the street. Hmmm. I wonder why. The balance of the photos focus on family-oriented and/or prestigious features of our town: playgrounds, Nara Park and Beach, playgrounds, ball fields, tennis courts, trails, historic buildings and monuments, the Discovery Museum, Arboretum, etc.
The paragraph introducing the properties is quite brilliant:
"Introducing Sarah Jane Court, a brand new ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED 6 townhome community in one of Acton's premier locations! Sarah Jane Court is within walking distance to the top rated Acton-Boxboro school campus, shopping and resturants and has easy access to Rtes 2 and 495 as well as the Boston Commuter Rail! Modern upscale amenities for the most discerning buyer who appreciates the rewards of condo living. Three bedroom floor plans, highlighted with granite kitchens, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, gas fireplaces, garages and town sewer!"
Remember: there was one, fairly small, one story blue house on this site before. Another item not shown in the slideshow (I'm still trying to figure out why Exchange Hall is in the slideshow, other than that it is Beautiful) is the neighboring, recently built group of townhomes. This is densification in action, and it is being sold to families ("top rated Acton-Boxboro school campus") whose parents commute: "access to Rtes 2 and 495 as well as the Boston Commuter Rail" (sic). Obviously if you are on 2, you have access to 495. And this location is _right on top of 2_. I mean, not built on an overpass, but we're talking yards not miles to nearest entry/exit. I have to say, if there's an easy prediction to make in this life, it is that there will be more of whatever has happened recently -- and it is so satisfying when it is then promptly born out by real developments. So to speak. I'm not sure I would call this "one of Acton's premier locations", but then I'm not really cut out to sell anything, especially real estate.
If I were trying to sell this, I might have included pictures of Acton Medical Associates and the dental building and other health care offices within easy walking distance.
And they really do have finished basements in the floor plans.
They've got a lender (Wells Fargo) lined up, but are not revealing pricing yet. Initial attempts to find MLS listings have failed. I'm betting they are aiming at people moving in summer 2012. It looks like Concord Riverwalk has another of their units under agreement (and I can't find pricing information for them, either); that development seems to be aiming at a different demographic, however -- the family focus is substantially less than the Acton development.
ETA:
Not too far down the street from this is a site that Next Generation would like to build a day care center on. The location is attraction to the day care center for the exact same reason the location is attractive to Sarah Jane Court: awesome commuter availability in a place where lots of people have (a) children and (b) jobs. Acton more or less ran the developers out in 2009 with the understanding that they would keep coming back. Local politics around here is admirably transparent and more or less stamina driven: you'll probably get what you want if you're prepared to keep coming back and you'll probably be able to stop someone if you're prepared to fight it for a long, long time. I respect this approach to politics.
Of course, people actually involved in any specific issue tend to get a lot more excited about the process than I do. Here is the most recent coverage I've found at Wicked Local:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/acton/news/x43524453/Acton-board-stalls-vote-on-Next-Generation-Childrens-Center
I feel like something has happened since then; I'll keep looking. There was a bunch of 2009 coverage at the same site (and, IIRC, some Boston Globe coverage as well).
Oh yeah, here it is:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/acton/features/x1174964162/Board-rejects-revised-plan-for-Acton-daycare
Despite a lot of people showing up to object to the proposal, "town officials hope they and the proponent, developer Walker Realty, can still reach an agreement to that avoids a lengthy court battle, and satisfies concerns including the potential impact to traffic and the character of the area." And the reason for that is they know perfectly well that if this sucker goes to court and the town gets overruled (which is probable), then the developer can go back to the original, larger, more parking spaces, two story version of the plan (possibly without the left turn lane to mitigate traffic concerns). Which would be bad. There's at least some description of this action as leading directly to court, but I think that's a little overwrought.
While a permit has obviously been posted, I haven't stopped to look at it, particularly since T. has decided he'd rather take a different route home. But a big sign went up, which led me to this website:
http://sarahjanecourt.com/
The front page is (I think) a flash slideshow, starting with "Similar to Be Built" photos of townhomes, followed by pictures of the strip mall across the street (including the excellent Not Your Average Joe's) and conspicuously not showing the gas station immediately across the street. Hmmm. I wonder why. The balance of the photos focus on family-oriented and/or prestigious features of our town: playgrounds, Nara Park and Beach, playgrounds, ball fields, tennis courts, trails, historic buildings and monuments, the Discovery Museum, Arboretum, etc.
The paragraph introducing the properties is quite brilliant:
"Introducing Sarah Jane Court, a brand new ENERGY STAR CERTIFIED 6 townhome community in one of Acton's premier locations! Sarah Jane Court is within walking distance to the top rated Acton-Boxboro school campus, shopping and resturants and has easy access to Rtes 2 and 495 as well as the Boston Commuter Rail! Modern upscale amenities for the most discerning buyer who appreciates the rewards of condo living. Three bedroom floor plans, highlighted with granite kitchens, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, gas fireplaces, garages and town sewer!"
Remember: there was one, fairly small, one story blue house on this site before. Another item not shown in the slideshow (I'm still trying to figure out why Exchange Hall is in the slideshow, other than that it is Beautiful) is the neighboring, recently built group of townhomes. This is densification in action, and it is being sold to families ("top rated Acton-Boxboro school campus") whose parents commute: "access to Rtes 2 and 495 as well as the Boston Commuter Rail" (sic). Obviously if you are on 2, you have access to 495. And this location is _right on top of 2_. I mean, not built on an overpass, but we're talking yards not miles to nearest entry/exit. I have to say, if there's an easy prediction to make in this life, it is that there will be more of whatever has happened recently -- and it is so satisfying when it is then promptly born out by real developments. So to speak. I'm not sure I would call this "one of Acton's premier locations", but then I'm not really cut out to sell anything, especially real estate.
If I were trying to sell this, I might have included pictures of Acton Medical Associates and the dental building and other health care offices within easy walking distance.
And they really do have finished basements in the floor plans.
They've got a lender (Wells Fargo) lined up, but are not revealing pricing yet. Initial attempts to find MLS listings have failed. I'm betting they are aiming at people moving in summer 2012. It looks like Concord Riverwalk has another of their units under agreement (and I can't find pricing information for them, either); that development seems to be aiming at a different demographic, however -- the family focus is substantially less than the Acton development.
ETA:
Not too far down the street from this is a site that Next Generation would like to build a day care center on. The location is attraction to the day care center for the exact same reason the location is attractive to Sarah Jane Court: awesome commuter availability in a place where lots of people have (a) children and (b) jobs. Acton more or less ran the developers out in 2009 with the understanding that they would keep coming back. Local politics around here is admirably transparent and more or less stamina driven: you'll probably get what you want if you're prepared to keep coming back and you'll probably be able to stop someone if you're prepared to fight it for a long, long time. I respect this approach to politics.
Of course, people actually involved in any specific issue tend to get a lot more excited about the process than I do. Here is the most recent coverage I've found at Wicked Local:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/acton/news/x43524453/Acton-board-stalls-vote-on-Next-Generation-Childrens-Center
I feel like something has happened since then; I'll keep looking. There was a bunch of 2009 coverage at the same site (and, IIRC, some Boston Globe coverage as well).
Oh yeah, here it is:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/acton/features/x1174964162/Board-rejects-revised-plan-for-Acton-daycare
Despite a lot of people showing up to object to the proposal, "town officials hope they and the proponent, developer Walker Realty, can still reach an agreement to that avoids a lengthy court battle, and satisfies concerns including the potential impact to traffic and the character of the area." And the reason for that is they know perfectly well that if this sucker goes to court and the town gets overruled (which is probable), then the developer can go back to the original, larger, more parking spaces, two story version of the plan (possibly without the left turn lane to mitigate traffic concerns). Which would be bad. There's at least some description of this action as leading directly to court, but I think that's a little overwrought.