One North of Boston

We’ve been living in this building since June, 2014 after we transplanted to Boston from NYC. Here are my pros/​cons:
PROS:
— Proximity to Boston. Whether you drive, take the bus or take the commuter rail, you can’t really beat the commute.
— Chelsea is also fine, if you’re not from MA like me, the internet will make it sound like a heroine needle filled wasteland, but it’s definitely not. The neighborhood around the building is mainly comprised of families and everyone I’ve met has been really nice. There’s also a nice grocery store, Starbucks and TJ Maxx/​Homegoods within walking distance. Not exciting, but not bad.
— Brand new, full amenity building with things we never get in NYC for less than your first born, like laundry in unit. The apartments are beautiful, the building/​grounds are well maintained.
— DOG FRIENDLY!!! It’s not just that they allow you to have a dog, it’s that you have on site pet sitting, dog run and you can access the washing station for free when the day care is not in service. They also had a «doggy pool party» before they drained the pool this summer and it was a blast!
— All of the employees are awesome. Some examples: last winter they helped us dig our cars out of the snow at 6 A. M to go to work, they didn’t have to, it’s not their job, they are just nice people. We watched our friends dog on and off for like 6 months before we got our own and I kept waiting for someone to give us a hard time about it, but that never happened.
CONS:
— Yes, the construction is annoying. If you’re really sensitive to noise, I suggest not living on the city facing side of the building, as it isn’t quiet.
— The price. The building is beautiful, but you definitely pay for it. I’m paying as much to live in a studio here as I did to live in a studio in Manhattan, and Chelsea MA is not Manhattan.
We have no intention of leaving this building for as long as we live in Boston.

I apologize in advance for the length of this review, but I wanted to be thorough. As the title implies, One North is a pet friendly place. If you don’t have a dog or like dogs, this is not the place for you. Most residents are responsible pet owners, but there’s literally no way to navigate the corridors or grounds without making a new furry friend. This was a big «pro» for me. Other pros include:
Pet Perks: There is a small dog run onsite that is available evenings and weekends. Fetch, by the Dogfather, offers doggy day-​care, dog walks, grooming services, and off site boarding services. The staff is great!
Noise: Inside, I never heard a peep from our neighbors unless I was in the hallway or on the rare occasion that someone’s pooch got a little too excited. Our unit faced the 6^th street side, so we heard the occasional commuter rail bells and horns, late night construction on 1A, snow plows during the winter, motorcycles in the summer and sirens from the Chelsea fire department.
Accessible: I rarely really NEEDED a car. I was a 3 minute walk from the T and only had to go a few steps further for groceries and retail therapy. It took me almost a year to take advantage of the 15 minute walk to downtown Chelsea.
Parking: Our unit came with two surface spaces. We opted to pay a reasonable fee for garage parking and skipped the whole 2-​hour defrost required for outdoor spaces during the winter. Best investment ever!
Amenities: Despite the small size and the excess shade, the pool was a welcomed retreat for the 14 (non-​consecutive) days that Chelsea is warm enough to swim outdoors. All jokes aside, the pavilion was well maintained, welcoming and a great place to meet your neighbors. The Fitness Center is equipped and well utilized. Yoga classes were recently introduced for a nominal fee.
The facilities and grounds were always, always kept clean and during the toughest winter ever, the entire staff pitched in to make sure that walkways were clear. The theater room is a class act with great sound, clear picture, and high end seating. The lounge with two TVs and a pool table is comfortable as well as stylish.
And lastly,
Management/​Maintenance Team: From day one, everyone on the team was responsive, flexible and accommodating. As big online shoppers, we found package receipt to be top notch and timely. We had over 100+ deliveries and they had a perfect score as no package of ours was misplaced or mishandled. During our year here, we didn’t notice any turnover in the staff and it seems that everyone we met on day one was there to wish us well on our next adventure. Patrick, Chase, Mike, Corey and Uzzal took interest in us, knew us by name, and handled our every concern like pros. If our travels ever bring us back to Boston, I’d gladly return to One North and happily recommend it to anyone looking for a place to call home.

The bottom line is, apart from the maintenance staff, the staff here are dumb and lazy and have no clue what «customer service» means. This is coming from someone who has worked for years in customer service and is not expecting the moon from anyone (because I know how needy some people can be).
From the moment I moved in I could tell I was in for a long 12 months… first, our keys didn’t work and they told us they hadn’t even inspected our room prior to us moving in. Why would they tell us that? Ok, no big deal.
But then, the pool wasn’t ready until either late July or August sometime, despite it being promised to us when we signed the lease. Alright… kind of annoying but whatever
Next, starting in October or November every morning at 6:30 AM, construction for «One North Phase 2» every morning at shook the entire building and woke us up early. Starting to get to the point where I feel taken advantage of. Was anyone warned of the construction? Of course not, otherwise no one on my side of the building would have moved in.
Add to that the fact that parking spaces are not assigned and sometimes ran out because people parked there who weren’t supposed to in the dead of winter. And then they would ask everyone to park at Market Basket over night. I asked Market Basket if we had permission to park there over night and they said NO. Hmm. Sorry, but paying through the nose to live in CHELSEA with a parking space shouldn’t mean I need to park two blocks away in a commercial lot and risk getting towed.
Gym machines broke and it took several weeks to fix (keep in mind it is a small gym).
Tried calling the Dolben HQ and they didn’t return your phone calls. Now I see where the incompetence comes from – it comes from the top management.
Grounds are kept very dirty, would it really hurt to vacuum the staircases and power wash the sidewalks to get rid of the urine smell?
When it was snowing they pushed my girlfriends car out of her parking space without her asking, it hit another car, and now she has been «held responsible» for it by having to pay $ 400 to get it fixed.
And here’s the kicker, when I moved out I received a check for the full balance of my security deposit, less $ 3.00. I called to ask if maybe a billing error resulted in them keeping my $ 3.00 and was told yes. No apology was given for their mistake (as usual) I then asked how to go about being refunded and was asked to stop by. Hello, I just moved an hour away. Why would I stop by to pick up $ 3.00 which I am entitled to, when it was your fault in the first place? I don’t care about the $ 3.00. It is the principle of the thing – typical One North management making mistakes left and right and not owning up to it and apologizing for it.
The one positive aspect of this place are the two maintenance staff… they are for the most part very responsive and competent. Except when they pushed my girlfriend’s car into someone else’s car and didn’t take any responsibility.
Have fun with this place, the gross lack of intelligence will definitely keep you entertained if nothing else. When you pay extra for amenities that aren’t executed properly, but still live in a dumpy neighborhood, you quickly grow dissatisfied. Good riddance to this pit.

I am one of the first tenants to live here and sadly because of my job I need to move closer to work at the end of the month.
This has been the best experience for me to date as a tenant in a rental building.
The building is always clean and quite and everything works.
Building management are the best. Pat, Chase and Michael go out of their way to help and solve any problems you might have.
My unit (not facing RT 1) has been super quite and neighbors all friendly.
Its also real close to the commuter rail for a quick hope into Boston.
I will always recommend living here.

Leasing consultants are great! Chase is my favorite! You’re doing a great job Chase! Beautiful property! I’m happy for Chelsea! It’s going to be great! Up and coming small town!

UPDATE: Parking program has been updated and is MUCH better. When your guests arrive, they just need to get a visitor spot (which no longer seems to be an issue, i suspect people were trying to permanently park in the visitor spots under the old rules) then are issued a paper disposable pass by the security guard that’s good for one day only. I haven’t seen a tow truck in weeks, so i think its working.
They have also added several street parking spots around the building, i’m hoping they stay unrestricted like they are now! This has also eased the parking issue.

After two hours visiting friends at One North, we came out to find our car towed from the «Visitor Parking» section of the parking lot. When I asked the security guard, I was told that I needed a visitor parking pass. None of the signs up in the lot indicated that a visitor pass was required and the security guard didn’t mention the pass when he was showing us how to use the intercom to call up to our friends. He did, however, find time to call the tow company to get our car.
I spoke with property management a few days later. They apologized, but said «our residents are supposed to tell you about the parking pass.» We didn’t even think to mention where we parked to the people we were visiting because there was no sign indicating that a pass might be required.
All told, we were out $ 190 in towing fees + $ 10 in cab fare + an hour long journey to get our car from a tow lot in Revere. A very frustrating experience that could have been avoided by simply adding the words «pass required» to the visitor parking sign.

Been here 4 months and so far so good! The apartments have a nice design with good appliances. Nice size bedrooms and walk in closet. Easy to get to Boston by car or commuter rail on the next block. The pool area and lounge area are great and gym and theatre room have been a nice bonus. Having lived in Beacon Hill, South End, and Charlestown with the luxury of being in the middle of the «action» this is well worth it’s price being a short über ride to the old neighborhoods. Cons include a bit noisy with route 1 on the east side of the building. A few corners cut in terms of construction. The bathroom sinks are flat and don’t drain well. Parking only available for one car per unit and guest spots are limited. Downtown Chelsea just a few blocks away isn’t ready for window shopping just yet.

We just moved in this weekend and loving the place !!!