Advice on buying a house near Cambridge public housing (Boston: 2015, condo)

[abm44]

My husband and I have been shopping for a 2-bedroom condo in Cambridge (Central Square, Cambridgeport, Mid-Cambridge area) and recently found one that we liked (nice yard, layout, affordable, etc). It's across the street from the Putnam Gardens public housing project, though, and I'm not sure how much that should give us pause. We've looked into crime reports and we didn't find anything that concerned us there, but should we be concerned for noise/parking or re-sale purposes? This condo is at the bottom end of the price range (~$320K, compared to many other Cambridge 2-bedrooms which are $400K+).

Thanks for your advice!

[xS☺B☺s]

I lived in a similar neighborhood in Lower ROX. Our problems were filth, noise, boom boom cars, car alarms. Safety was not too big of an issue.

The noise can be attributed not to the projects but due to living on Tremont St on a corner with a nightclub, a traffic light and several retail stores including a liquor store.

I'd eyeball the area for signs of the broken glass theory - trash, evidence of auto window glass on the street, rodent activity, graffiti. Having driven around those 'hoods in CAM I'd say it's no big deal - might even be nice.

A lot of college kids from Northeastern lived in areas directly surrounding the projects. They seem ok.

Car alarms seem to big a bigger problem in the hood. For some reason people who own $5000 cars seem to feel they need car alarms and when cousin Fred installs it, he doesn't calibrate it right so it alarms every time a fly lands on it or a Harley goes by.

The biggest burden about living in / near a hood is not hostility. Most people there are actually pretty nice. It's a matter of being able to tolerate the ghetto manners. A lot of people of color would themselves tell you how they'd like to divorce themselves from some of the lower level conversation and habits they are stuck with. Boom boom cars blasting "F**k N*gga F**k N*gga F**k N*gga F**k" up and down the street does get old.

[goyguy]

I've lived in that area for 18 years and love it.
Putnam Gardens is a low-density development, very well maintained, with next to no crime in the vicinity. It's even where I go to vote. The noise issue is much worse on the part of the yuppies and Harvard students who infest, excuse me - inhabit, the surrounding neighborhood. Intoxicated women shrieking "I know, right? And I was like, o'm'GAWD, and he was like..." for hours on end is far more obnoxious than the occasional "boom boom car" (gonna steal that term) rolling by. All it usually takes is one call to the cops to solve that problem, 'cause the Cambridge police don't play. If they're dispatched to the same address a second time there's hell to pay. "Buffy" and "Zach" know about the weekly newspaper's crime log that "everybody" reads, and "SO" don't want to turn up in print.
You're within an easy stroll from Harvard Square as well as good public transportation into Boston and other places in all directions, and the popular Petsi's sandwich shop is "right there," yet aside from the teens-to-thirties partiers the environment's tranquil. Word to the wise, though, the more stable streets to buy on are Putnam and Kinnaird. Howard, Magee, and Callendar are less of a sure thing, seeing as how they were a step down the economic ladder to begin with.
DM freely if there's anything more I can impart.

[woodburygirl]

GOYGUY,

My boyfriend is looking to move right across the street from Putnam Gardens Public Housing. Your review in 2010 was reassuring but it's now 6 years later. Do you still live there? Would you be comfortable walking the streets at midnight alone in front of that housing project. Should I be comfortable leaving my new car on the street there? What is the neighborhood like in 2016?

[goyguy]

Hey there,
I'm still in the same neighborhood as before, and nothing's changed since what I posted 'way back in 2010.
Putnam Ave gets a lot of foot traffic at all hours - not saying that there isn't the occasional robbery, only that it's not par for the course around there. But the street is so narrow that you'll probably have to resort to paying for an off-street parking space.

[woodburygirl]

Can you pay for off street if your only there a a few days a month. I'm in CT and we alternate. Specifically...would you be comfortable directly across the street? I'm really uncomfortable with this ( as I'm sure you can tell) but the photo's he sent me looked like a lot of elderly.What is your impression of Putnam Gardens?

[timberline742]

The neighborhood is absolutely fine.

[porterhouse]

I wouldn't think twice about the location, it is a very nice neighborhood and there are virtually no issues caused by the housing complex. A brand new elementary and middle school were just built immediately next to Putnam Gardens with a beautiful playground that serves as a gathering point for the neighborhood. There is a major school bus stop right next to Putnam gardens that serves all levels of Cambridge schools as well as the Community Center immediately behind the complex. The Community Center also hosts a Winter Farmers market. Cambridge is a city and even though i is relatively safe I would be careful walking alone i nay area late at night. However you would be as safe in the location you are asking about as you would walking through Harvard Yard or any area of Cambridge.

If you are concerned about crime, take a look at last quarters and last years crime reports http://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/F...016_FINAL.ashx http://camb.ma/2015CPDAnnual The maps will particularly useful in reassuring you that there is very little crime in that area. Any concerns you have should be offset by the fact that from a convenience standpoint that is one of the best locations in Cambridge: 1 block from the Charles River, walkable to Harvard & Central Squares for shopping and public transportation, walkable to grocery stores (Trader Joes & Whole Foods), less than 10 min to downtown Boston, less than 15 minutes to the airport, blocks from the Mass Pike for your commute back to CT. It is a fantastic place to live.

In order to park on the street in Cambridge, your vehicle must be registered in Cambridge. Then you get a resident sticker for that vehicle, plus a guest pass that can be put in the other car. There is plenty of parking on the side streets in this area. The only challenge can come during a snowy winter.


FWIW, if the OP had bought the condo they contemplating 6 years ago in that location, it would not be worth 2x what they paid at the time.

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

FWIW, if the OP had bought the condo they contemplating 6 years ago in that location, it would not be worth 2x what they paid at the time.

I think you mean "now" be worth?

[porterhouse]

Yes, sorry for the typo. I meant now worth double the purchase price just 6 years later.