North Reading today - the good and the bad (Lynn: apartments, condos)

[camis1980]

Originally Posted by robr2

Permits are needed for everything.

I'm on the supplier side - factory made cabinets are taking 3-4 times as long so plan 12-20 weeks. Local custom companies are in that area as well.

How will the bus system in Andover benefit your child in private school?

Andover to Burlington can be done a number of ways:

28 to 125 to 62 to 3A

93 and 128

whatever way Waze says to go.

I'm aware of the cabinetry lead-times. They are long (but then lead time for custom cabinetry was never under 8 weeks in my experience, in pre-pandemic times). That's why I want to buy in the fall marker now, to have a fair chance to remodel what I must and move by August '22. (of course I can hope a perfectly perfect house that doesn't need even a coat of paint will come on the market in spring market ; but that would be a pretty wild bet - unless it's a new house - and I know all the new houses that are coming on the market in winter/spring, that was the first thing we looked at, no hopes there..)

To answer now your question, just like in other towns (Concord has this , too) , private schools in Andover are being served by the public school transportation, for the students residents in Andover of course. Which makes sense, as those people pay taxes, too. "The Transportation Office supports both regular yellow bus transportation and special education transportation. In addition, the Transportation Office provides yellow bus transportation for private schools in Andover including St. Augustine’s, The Pike School, and Andover Montessori School as permitted by statute."
(link for reference https://www.aps1.net/87/Transportation)

[camis1980]

Originally Posted by cb2008

Really? We have lived here for 46 years, and if anything I think it is getting better. There are some people of course who always long for the 'good old days' whatever it means to them.
It is kind of boring in the sense it is not as interesting and happening like Cambridge or even Somerville for sure. But neither is North Reading or any of the suburban communities!

I see more young families moving in to Andover which is getting more diverse. Which is a good thing and the Town is committed to being a diverse community. It has an engaged community though not exactly progressive. Houses dont last a long time on the market. Apparently the luster is not too much gone for the newcomers!

I'm the living proof that Andover is still attractive for the newcomers . I also agree that with a lot of business moving to Cambridge , a lot of people not returning to the office at all - or only a couple of days a week, and the high prices in western suburbs - that trigger a fortune in taxes, the northern suburbs become attractive - and I see Reading & Lynnfield growing fast in the upcoming years. I don't know about Reading but in Lynnfield there's a ton of new construction happening (I just passed by once and saw more houses under constructions than in Andover in weeks of driving the town street by street and looking for them). Retail seems to be booming , too (and that's a sign - as retail usually follows the $$).
However Andover has a certain charm that I didn't feel anywhere else we looked. PA projects a "je ne sais quoi" over the whole town. People seem more relaxed and laid back (in a very positive way). We came for dinner one evening, I was depressed because we had been driving around all day and didn't really like any of the towns we've been through. Andover was not on our list of possible locations as we initially considered it too long of a commute for my husband, but it was love at first sight, by the end of the evening it became the only location on our list. When you find your village, you just know it. Luster or no luster.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by camis1980

I'm aware of the cabinetry lead-times. They are long (but then lead time for custom cabinetry was never under 8 weeks in my experience, in pre-pandemic times). That's why I want to buy in the fall marker now, to have a fair chance to remodel what I must and move by August '22. (of course I can hope a perfectly perfect house that doesn't need even a coat of paint will come on the market in spring market ; but that would be a pretty wild bet - unless it's a new house - and I know all the new houses that are coming on the market in winter/spring, that was the first thing we looked at, no hopes there..)

To answer now your question, just like in other towns (Concord has this , too) , private schools in Andover are being served by the public school transportation, for the students residents in Andover of course. Which makes sense, as those people pay taxes, too. "The Transportation Office supports both regular yellow bus transportation and special education transportation. In addition, the Transportation Office provides yellow bus transportation for private schools in Andover including St. Augustine’s, The Pike School, and Andover Montessori School as permitted by statute."
(link for reference https://www.aps1.net/87/Transportation)

Thanks for the info.

My customers who supply products to contractors, are telling me many contractors are signing contracts with people now to start work in the 2nd quarter of 2022. Some small developers are putting off projects until 2023.

I wasn't aware of towns running school buses for private schools. I looked at one of the schedules and I pity the poor kids getting on the bus at South St. on the Tewksbury line at 7:30 AM and riding it for an hour until they reach St. Augistine's.

[cb2008]

Originally Posted by camis1980

I'm the living proof that Andover is still attractive for the newcomers . I also agree that with a lot of business moving to Cambridge , a lot of people not returning to the office at all - or only a couple of days a week, and the high prices in western suburbs - that trigger a fortune in taxes, the northern suburbs become attractive - and I see Reading & Lynnfield growing fast in the upcoming years. I don't know about Reading but in Lynnfield there's a ton of new construction happening (I just passed by once and saw more houses under constructions than in Andover in weeks of driving the town street by street and looking for them). Retail seems to be booming , too (and that's a sign - as retail usually follows the $$).
However Andover has a certain charm that I didn't feel anywhere else we looked. PA projects a "je ne sais quoi" over the whole town. People seem more relaxed and laid back (in a very positive way). We came for dinner one evening, I was depressed because we had been driving around all day and didn't really like any of the towns we've been through. Andover was not on our list of possible locations as we initially considered it too long of a commute for my husband, but it was love at first sight, by the end of the evening it became the only location on our list. When you find your village, you just know it. Luster or no luster.

It was the same experience for us when we were relocating from Ohio. At that time Lynnfield did not have any new construction and the houses seemed old and dingy to me. When we drove down 28 and onto the PA campus we were sold. And we saw new construction innAndover, cul de sacs. It seemed bright and new. PA also offers a lot of cultural and literary events which the community can attend, such as a lecture by David Brooks, for instance and other writers. Plays and concerts. As does the library. The Addison is a wonderful thing. It is not Lexington or Concord but yeah, it has some good stuff.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by camis1980

I see Reading & Lynnfield growing fast in the upcoming years. I don't know about Reading but in Lynnfield there's a ton of new construction happening (I just passed by once and saw more houses under constructions than in Andover in weeks of driving the town street by street and looking for them).

Reading has a lot of ongoing construction as well, but my opinion is the construction I see ongoing in Lynnfield is a lot more higher-end, especially once you get off the main roads and go into the smaller neighborhoods.

[Dadschum]

To the OP - what about this one in Andover. Just shy of 4000 Sq but on a cul de sac and has a flat lot where you could put a pool in. Might have to compromise a bit to get into the town you want.

https://www.redfin.com/MA/Andover/10...9uX251bWJlcj0x

[camis1980]

Originally Posted by Dadschum

To the OP - what about this one in Andover. Just shy of 4000 Sq but on a cul de sac and has a flat lot where you could put a pool in. Might have to compromise a bit to get into the town you want.

https://www.redfin.com/MA/Andover/10...9uX251bWJlcj0x

That would have been too small and too old for us (age is not a problem , but features we're looking for are rarely to be found in houses older than the 90s). Also too close to the highway...
We purchased meanwhile (well, our offer has been accepted and I expect no significant issues at inspections tomorrow - so it's a pretty done deal) a house in the north of North Reading that perfectly fits what I want - except the sewerage (septic...) and zip code (but since I can be in Andover downtown within 10 min, I'm good with that). On the plus side, the neighborhood is exactly the kind of neighborhood I want, it has almost 1 acre and the pool is already built. I will keep an eye on the market in Andover and get what I want when it pops up - next month or next year or whenever that will be...

[cb2008]

Originally Posted by camis1980

That would have been too small and too old for us (age is not a problem , but features we're looking for are rarely to be found in houses older than the 90s). Also too close to the highway...
We purchased meanwhile (well, our offer has been accepted and I expect no significant issues at inspections tomorrow - so it's a pretty done deal) a house in the north of North Reading that perfectly fits what I want - except the sewerage (septic...) and zip code (but since I can be in Andover downtown within 10 min, I'm good with that). On the plus side, the neighborhood is exactly the kind of neighborhood I want, it has almost 1 acre and the pool is already built. I will keep an eye on the market in Andover and get what I want when it pops up - next month or next year or whenever that will be...

Congratulations! That's a big deal in this market.

I often shop in North Reading at Stop & Shop there as it is bigger than in Andover. I also go to the Walmart and TJ Maxx and other stores.

[FCMA]

North Reading was the only town I had never heard of in MA until maybe like 2 years ago. Threw me for a loop (there’s a North Reading - why?). Like I thought I knew about all the obscure places like Gosnold and all of the Brookfields, and the distinction between Washington and Mount Washington, but now there’s a NORTH Reading? That aside, it’s clearly another typical suburb and will be suitable to most contemporary folx with contemporary suburban life goals.

[WestieWhitie]

Speaking of north shore suburbs, how’s Wakefield? Seems to be quite a bit cheaper than the nearby non-lynns.