A new trend is poised to sweep the country: living at the mall. Developers are building luxury condos attached to malls, and at one in the Boston suburbs, they’re selling for $420k to $1.6 million. Some people like the idea of being able to stroll downstairs and go to Nordstrom’s and Neiman Marcus. Others think that it gives them a taste of their conception of what constitutes urban life. Hey, at least there’s ample parking.
3BR, mall view [Boston Globe]
(Photo: Erik Jacobs)
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@Xerloq: Yea, basically sums it up.
I dont think I’d want that many squirrly teenagers wandering around me. And if anything I think parking would be a bitch on weekends and during the holiday season.
I live above a mini mall here in Toronto.
Drugstore & liquor store just downstairs–what more do you need?
I read this in a horror/sci-fi book fifteen years ago. They were like molepeople, never saw the sun.
@optical_allusion: OH MY GOD YES!! This is the book! Not a horror, other than the horror of moving to the moon! I read that book over and over.
Hoo Hoo Ha ha!
I want to meet the dumbasses who move into these “luxury-super-premium” condos. With all the McMansions around Boston being auctioned off, i’m sure these will sell like hotcakes!
@optical_allusion: Part of me is still eight and thinks that this would be neat as heck. But I’d only buy a condo like this if I was so filthy stinking rich that I could afford multiple luxury homes.
Unless the ceilings are made of pure 24 carat gold.. and the toilets encrusted with thousands of Swarofski crystals.. thats a really tacky idea.. hehe
It’s called New Urbanism, at least that’s at the heart of the idea. And I’m wholeheartedly a fan of it. Americans should be more open to the idea of being within walking distance of the things they need. While this one might be ridiculous and for the super rich, places like Metro West in Vienna, Virginia (which is also called Transit Oriented Development) are things that could really change the landscape of the country for the better. Less driving, less pollution, more of a sense of community, etc. The benefits for those willing to embrace it are large.
I live in a condo complex next to a shopping center that isn’t exactly a shining example of New Urbanism, but it’s close enough. If I could just get a job in the plaza, I’d be able to get rid of that money sink I call a car.
I agree with Meiran. I live in Portland, OR and property here is silly expensive. I was reading the article and thinking that $400,000 or $500,000 was cheap for an condo! We have an “urban growth boundary” (which I agree with) that makes subdivisions more difficult to build. However, the old warehouse district next to downtown has been redeveloped in the past 10 years to condos and is now the Pearl District. So you get to pay $600,000 and up for under 800 sq ft. Not to mention all the homeless sleeping in the doorways. The urine smell is free.
But look, I wish all the malls in Portland would build
condos overhead. That would help stop urban sprawl. Help the traffic a little by keeping those folks who want to live at the mall off the streets and let the rest of us get to Mt Hood, the Columbia Gorge, or the coast without having to be behind them in the car.