Roszak/ADC
The High Life
Condo Towers Bring New Look, Feel to Downtown Evanston
Chicago Tribune
07/30/2005
Jane Adler |
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Meet the Godmans. They're among the 1,800 new residents of downtown Evanston, the suburb on Chicago's northern border where huge buildings are taking over.
Longtime Evanstonians, Fay and Carl Godman traded their big high maintenance house near the lake for a penthouse at church street station, a hip new high-rise.
"It's an adventure for us," said Fay Godman, who likes the vibrancy of Evanston's increasingly urban downtown. "It's exciting."
Over the last four years, downtown Evanston has been transformed by a wave of residential construction. New condominiums have been built. Others are under way. Still more are planned. New movie theatres, restaurants and stores have opened. More than ever, an Evanston address is very cool.
The new down-towners include empty-nesters, such as the Godmans, and young professionals. A smattering of students from nearby northwestern university also lives in the downtown condos, purchased by parents looking to house their kids, and hopefully, to make a decent return on their investments.
Once considered an affordable alternative to Chicago, Evanston is getting pricey. But that hasn't squelched demand, at least not yet.
Developers are still seeking parcels for more big condos in an already built-out community where many residents have strong opinions about what should be built and where.
"Condos are a major plus for downtown Evanston," said john Macsai, professor emeritus of architecture at the university of Illinois-Chicago and longtime Evanston resident. "You need that critical mass of humanity to be able to support the other services and amenities."
The new condos didn't magically appear. The city of Evanston drew up a plan to create a 24/7 downtown more than 10 years ago that included lots of new housing, namely condos.
"We're getting to the point where we have enough residents, so we can attract more retail stores Dennis Marino, director of the planning division for the city of Evanston. "There's a real synergy between the offices, retail shops and residents."
Between 2000 and 2004, about 700 condos were built downtown, according to a city survey. Another 450 units are currently under way.
Marino acknowledges that the idea of putting homes downtown to create a vibrant central district is not unique, many cities and towns, especially those near transportation lines, are trying the idea. The trend eve has a name: transit-orientated development.
In this respect, Marino said, downtown Evanston is blessed. The city has two train lines, the Chicago transit authority's elevated train and the Metra.
It's very much a competitive advantage," he noted.
Illinois state rep. Julie Hamos lives in downtown Evanston in the new church street station high-rise.
Evanston is a transit rich community," said Hamos, a democrat who represents the 18th district. "This is the perfect location for someone in my situation who travels downtown a lot."
Fay Godman can see the tops of the Metra trains from her two-level penthouse at 1642 maple ave. In her high-up home, she's become an avid cloud watcher too, delighted by the occasional rainbow. It's a big contrast to her single-family house where she enjoyed watching squirrels and birds in the yard.
"We like the urban feel," she said.
New resident s are drawn downtown by Evanston's urban energy, according t developer tom Roszak. He's building the big sienna project at the corner of Clark Street and Ridge Avenue.
The projects four mid-rise condo buildings will have 220 units. The project, built around an inner park, also includes 17 town homes. The first condo building opens in January.
About 90 percent of the units there are sold, said Roszak, whose firm Roszak/ADC has built about 500 condo units in Evanston over the last five years.
"Home buyers originally came to Evanston because the prices were lower than in Chicago," said Roszak. "But now they're coming because there's a nice feel to the downtown."
The sienna condos cost from the low $200,000s to the low $400,000s, or about $300 to $350 a square foot. Roszak said the price of his units are comparable to the low end of the Chicago condo market. But, he added his units include a parking place.
"That's different from Chicago," he said, noting that Chicago condos may charge as much as $30,000 for a parking spot.
Like almost everywhere else, Evanston home prices are rising. The average price in may of a condo or townhouse was $292,517, a 7 percent jump from the previous May, according to the north shore Barrington association of realtors. The average price of a single-family home in Evanston is currently $716, 539, the association says.
Some of the new condos are fetching million-dollar-plus prices.
Sherman plaza is a 26-story project under way at the northwest corner of Sherman Avenue and Davis Street. It has 12 penthouses, ranging in price from about $1 million to $1.8 million.
"The penthouses are all sold," said Tim Anderson, president of focus development inc., the Northfield based developer of the project along with Kluztznick-Fisher development.
Sherman plaza includes a 1,586-car parking garage. The project has 152,000 square feet of retail space with a 53,000 square foot health club. A half acre landscaped park sits atop the retail portion of the building. Sales contracts are pending for about 80 percent of the condos at Sherman plaza, Anderson said.
Katherine Boho bought a 2,500-square-foot penthouse at Sherman Plaza. She currently lives in another downtown high-rise.
Boho, a clinical psychologist grew up in Evanston. Her father was an Evanston fireman.
"I love Evanston, especially in the fall when the Northwestern students are here," said Boho. "This is the right place."
It's a crowded place too.
Local residents recall the days when it was easy to find a parking space. Now its not unusual on a Saturday night to find a steady stream of people on the sidewalks in front of the Century Theatres located at Maple and Church Street in the big complex that helped jumpstart the recent round of construction.
City planners don't have a target number for additional new residential units downtown. Merchants say the new residents have been good for business. But some residents complain about too many people, too little parking.
"Is it too much development?" asked architecture professor Macsai. He regularly testifies before the City Council about new projects-sometimes pro, sometimes con.
"To my greatest surprise, there are a large number of people who want to keep Evanston a dormitory suburb with only two-story buildings," he said. "I understand these people, but I don't agree with them."
Developer David Hovey, a well-known architect, had built three big downtown projects. Optima Towers; Optima Views; and, the latest, Optima Horizons. The buildings are named after Hovey's Glencoe-based firm, Optima Inc.
"Each of the three buildings is a direct response to site conditions," said Hovey, who favors modern design. "We have lots of outdoor space."
Optima Horizons, 800 Elgin Road, was finished this year. It has a park on one side with a fountain. The building also has recessed terraces instead of balconies. A landscape outdoor space for all residents is on the fifth floor.
Hovey said his Optima buildings are optimistic." They offer floor to ceiling windows in many of the rooms.
"It's a bright and fresh lifestyle," he said.
But as desirable, and logical, spots for downtown development dwindle, residential developers are gradually shifting their attention elsewhere.
Adrienne and Howard Hurwitz are buying a condo at 900 Chicago, a new building under way at Main Street and Chicago Avenue, about a half-mile from downtown. The couple currently lives in Highland Park, where they raised their now grown children.
"We're ready for Evanston," said Adrienne Hurwitz, explaining that she's looking forward to the city's slightly offbeat nature.
The couple looked at condos in downtown Evanston, but finally opted for one in the less busy neighborhood near Main Street, about 10 blocks to the south.
"It was too crowded downtown," said Adrianne Hurwitz. "Here we can walk the dog and we're close to the beach."
The seven-story 900 Chicago building has 77 condos. About 65 percent of the units are under contract, according to Mary Summerville, the project's agent and broker/owner at Prairie Shore Properties, Evanston. Prices range from about $230,000 to $450,000. Residents will begin to move into the building in September.
Summerville said the same people who look at 900 Chicago have also looked at places downtown.
"This is a smaller, more intimate building than you get downtown. It has a softer feel," Summerville said. "We also like the fact that it's in a less congested area [than downtown]. You can park in front of the building."
Meanwhile downtown, the Godmans don't want Evanston to lose its original suburban character. They hope there's room for more than one sort of Evanston.
According to Fay Godman, "We're happy the downtown is becoming more active and urban. But we hope Evanston, as a community doesn't give up its homeyness. We want Evanston to be a good place for families, too."
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