Developer To Bring 191 Units to Andover

ANDOVER, MA-A Boston-based developer has broken ground on the first new apartment complex to be erected in this city north of Boston in more than 20 years. Criterion Property Co. broke ground on the 191-unit luxury apartment and expects to open the property, known as Windsor on the Green, within 18 months.

“It was a question of focusing on sites that offer convenient access to area employment and being a great community and Andover fits the bill on both,’ Andrew Kaye, executive vice president of Criterion, tells GlobeSt.com of the site’s selection. The $36-million project, located on Lowell Street and the junction of Interstate 93 and situated adjacent to the Rolling Green Golf Course and the Boston Sports Club, will be the first apartment complex to be built here since the 1980s and the first Bay State project for Criterion’s joint venture with General Investment and Development, a Boston-based real estate group with properties throughout the East coast and California.

The complex, which is being built on 15 acres near Interstates 93, 95 and 495, will be comprised of one- and two-bedroom units and will rent for between $1,300 and $1,700 per month. The community also will include a 2,750-sf community center complete with swimming pool, spa, sports court and playground and will feature garage and carport parking, fireplaces, private balconies and fully applianced designer kitchens. Tenants also will have access to the amenities at the Boston Sports Club and Rolling Green Golf Course for an additional fee.

Kaye says the community will fill the void for luxury apartment units in Andover, which like most of the region, has seen many apartment complexes converted into condominiums during the last few years. The project is the second for Criterion since the company was formed in September 2004. Criterion also owns Winchester Gardens, a 96-unit apartment community in Winchester that it plans to convert to a townhome community that will be renamed the Residences at Winchester. The firm also is eyeing opportunities in other areas of Boston and in Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Dallas and Austin, TX.