Allston's newish Green District has some residents perturbed at the changes it might portend: namely, gentrification. Recall that higher-end apartment complexes like the Edge and the Element (pictured) have arrived in recent years in an area of the neighborhood near the Brookline border, bringing hundreds of new units at decidedly un-Allston prices (2-BRs at the Edge have asked $3,000 a month, for instance). More than that, the new complexes emphasize not only severely green living, but things like comfort and efficiency. As the chairman of Green District developer, the Mount Vernon Co., put it to The Globe's Matt Rochelau, "Making a neighborhood more civilized never hurt anybody."
Some residents, of course, bristle at such comments, which imply that their neighborhood is not already sufficiently civilized. They fear not the crunchy Green District itself, but the effects its tenants—and the developer—might have. "You don't want to turn Allston into Chestnut Hill," one resident tells Rochelau. She and others point to Mount Vernon's takeover of the space that, until New Year's, housed the Joshua Tree bar. The developer plans to lease the space on the Green District's edge to a non-alcoholic entity, ideally a specialty grocer. Meanwhile, a new wine bar down the street specifically catering to the new tenants is set to open, its owner declaring that "Allston is the next Jamaica Plain." Stay tuned.
· An Allston Enclave Gets a Makeover [Globe]
· Allston's Green District to Run Partly on Shame [Curbed Boston]
· Another Shoot in Allston's Green District [Curbed Boston]
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