New apartments are rising skyward on Rantoul Street where older, tired buildings stood for decades.

As the new housing complexes — built over the last few years — fill up, and with still others in the planning stages, residents are becoming part of a new neighborhood that is taking shape around the MBTA’s commuter rail depot.

It’s called transit-oriented development. Though not a new concept — it’s going on throughout the country — the city and interested developers are making this idea become a reality in Beverly.

The city is looking to continue to open up the area around the Beverly Depot train station to housing, as well as areas slightly further afield but within walking distance of the Depot. Talks are underway to rezone the area near the Bass River to allow residential uses. Live-work spaces for artists are also proposed as an addition to the city’s zoning to invite artists to live and sell their work out of the same space.

At the center of much of the development on Rantoul Street is Beverly-based Windover Development. The company has already opened two apartment buildings on Rantoul Street — Enterprise Apartments with 45 units and Burnham Apartments with 38. Windover plans another 72 apartments for 131 Rantoul St., and 62 apartments at 10-12 Congress St., near the foot of the Beverly-Salem bridge.

The state’s $20 million Rantoul Street reconstruction project is ready to ramp up this spring and not only smooth out the street, but provide it with a much-needed facelift.

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