Will H.
Yelp
The Radian was definitely my favorite community to live in during our 3.5 years in Boston. The office staff, the concierges, and the maintenance crew were all wonderful; very friendly, outgoing, and on-the-ball with just about anything you could imagine. Response rates were always fast and any repairs always completed within hours.
The apartments, themselves, are nice. I prefer the clean and modern finishes of the "regular" units far more than the penthouse finishes, but that's a matter of preference. There are so many windows and so much light throughout the entire day, and because of the location and the limited ability to build around the building, that shouldn't be changing any time soon!
Another huge bonus of the units at the Radian is the noise, or lack thereof, between units. I rarely hear anything from unit to unit, above, below, or next door neighbors. It's definitely the quietest building we've lived in from that perspective. The outside noise can be a bit much, but oddly enough, sirens, honking, and general chaos outside doesn't bother me nearly as much as thumping or loud noise from other units. We've had some nightmare scenarios with noise in the past, so the Radian's relative silence was a massive perk.
The amenities aren't as luxurious as some buildings. There's no outdoor community space or grills, so that's a drawback (mainly the grill part). The limited common areas could be seen as another drawback, but we don't often take advantage of those, so if you're more of a homebody in these types of communities, you won't miss it. The gym is nice. Some of the equipment technology is a bit outdated despite being only a few years old, but it's nicer than many gyms. It's not the best gym if you're into the latest and greatest, but they keep it very clean and well-maintained for the most part. The natural light from the windows that wrap around the entire gym are a bonus, too.
As some reviews have mentioned, the worst part of the Radian is outside of the building and mostly outside of the management's control. Drug use and loitering on the Greenway was always prevalent, but since the restaurant in the building, Townsman, closed in July, the situation really escalated. Much of the nonsense that Townsman staff pushed away from the building are now free to get closer. We've seen people shooting up on the restaurant's old patio, people trying to walk into the building, and trash building up outside. Without the restaurant staff there to keep things in order, it's really looking bleak from a curb appeal standpoint. From a safety standpoint, I didn't feel any worse than when we moved in, but this area always came with it's fair share of adventure, so we knew what we were getting into. It's not for everyone, but I never felt truly unsafe. Just a bit annoyed by the nonsense.
The location, otherwise, is excellent. Close to all of the lines for commuting, close to Roche Bros. for groceries, close to great coffee shops in Gracenote and George Howell, and a short walk from most parts of town (10-15 minutes to South End, 15-20 minutes to the Boston Public Market or North End, 20 minutes to Back Bay. 5-10 minutes to Boston Common or DTX). Aside from Chinatown, the area can feel a bit dead after the work crowds head home, which is good for outside noise.
Overall, I still give Radian a solid 4 stars because they do a wonderful job with communication and management of the living spaces. It's clean, well-maintained, and the staff is really great. The management group has also been the best we've encountered, which gives us optimism as we relocate to another one of their properties in another city. If Townsman was still here, I'd be giving 5 stars, but until something comes in that adds to the appeal of the community, I can't go that far. As I mentioned earlier, this area isn't for everyone, but we've encountered much of the same nonsense in every area we've lived in Boston, so for us, it comes down to the actual building and staff...and the Radian is excellent in both regards!