Garden apartments · Massachusetts
Orchard Gardens (Boston)
Retrofit built as housing; median rent $2,069; no occupancy data; nearby retail context but no retail component. · summary, model-written
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile5 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
3+ other atlas sites within 10 km
This site: 9 within 10 km computed · all sites with thisCounty typical rent $2,000+
This site: $3,190/mo zillow · all sites with thisShrinking county
This site: -1.2% census-acs · all sites with thisRedeveloped
This site: record · all sites with thisHousing
This site: …new_use field record · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Retrofit builtWikipedia no source |
|---|---|
| Strategy | RedevelopedWikipedia no source |
| New uses | housingWikipedia no source |
| Redeveloper | Trinity Financial, Inc. and Madison Park Development Corpnewtypes-extraction reported |
Site context
| Housing permits, Suffolk County (MA), 2024 | 1,771 units in 5+ unit buildings, 162 in 2–4, 74 single-family; 2023: 2,288 in 5+Census BPS |
|---|---|
| Other atlas sites nearby | 9 within 10 km, 20 within 25 km: Filene's landmark flagship store (0.0 km); 15 Court Square (0.1 km); 85 Devonshire St. (0.1 km); Lafayette Place Mall (0.6 km); Assembly Mall (4.3 km)computed |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 31,997 jobs in 2,236 establishments; average annual pay $61,461; employment location quotient 0.45; employment -0.8% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2022 | 62,917 jobs; 632 in retail trade, 2,463 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 25025030302)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 48th income percentile as adults; 4.7% incarcerated at the 2010 count (27 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 17.2%; median family income $190,793; 129 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Boston School District (PK-12); 4 public schools within 1 mile: Eliot K-8 Innovation School; Quincy Elementary School; Quincy Upper School; Boston Adult Tech AcademyNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 28 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 119 county-logged events: 63 thunderstorm wind, 30 flood, 21 flash flood, 4 hail; $621,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 02108, 2026-09 | median list price $2,824,500 (-31.5% on the year); 36 active listings; median 119 days on market; 19% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 2,298 establishments (-5%); 40,614 jobs (+26%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $738,589 (+0% 1 yr, +8% 5 yr); typical rent $3,190/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
Summary, model-written
Orchard Gardens in Boston was redeveloped from public housing into garden-apartments (housing), completed by Trinity Financial and Madison Park Development Corp. The project is built, with median rent at $2,069. No occupancy data provided. Nearby context includes Lafayette Place Mall (0.6 km, built) and Filene’s flagship store (0.0 km, built).
Why. Retrofit already built; median rent exceeds typical affordable thresholds; housing use aligns with record. Peer projects (e.g., Lafayette Place Mall, Arsenal Mall) share redevelopment strategy but are not direct comparators due to differing scales.
Where it stands. Status: Built. Housing market data (Zillow) shows 2026 ZHVI $738,589, ZORI $3,190. Permit data (2023–2024) shows $838M–$848M in construction value for 2,125+ units in Suffolk County. Retail employment rose 26% (2012–2023), but no retail component noted here.
For a planner
- Nearby projects: Filene’s (0 km), Lafayette Place Mall (0.6 km)
- Housing market: Median rent $2,069 aligns with ZORI $3,190
- No retail or mixed-use elements in record
For a developer
- Construction value: $838M–$848M for 2,125+ units (2023–2024)
- Peer projects (e.g., Arsenal Mall) share strategy but differ in scale
- No data on tenant mix or vacancy rates
What we do not know yet
- No current occupancy or tenant income data
- Median rent $2,069 may limit affordability access
- Context clusters include non-housing projects (e.g., A&P warehouse) with no stated relevance
- No timeline for developer’s future plans beyond completion
Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Lafayette Place Mall, Boston, MA · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; also in MA; 1 km away
- Arsenal Mall, Watertown, MA · Malls · same strategy: redevelop; also in MA; 8 km away
- Filene's landmark flagship store, Boston, MA · Big boxes · same strategy: redevelop; also in MA; 0 km away
- A&P food-storage and bakery warehouse, Somerville, MA · Other · same strategy: redevelop; also in MA; 5 km away
Elsewhere on the web
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- median rent $2,069
- housing in the record
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| County | Suffolk County |
|---|---|
| Census division | 1 · New England |
| Notes | Draft from bostonhousing.org, model-extracted, unreviewed: Orchard Gardens was a severely distressed public housing redeveloped into 331 high-quality housing units with a new school and green spaces, completed in 1999. |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, original developer, what is there now, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Sources
- Orchard Gardens - Boston Housing Authority
1 quoted sentence
Orchard Gardens
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