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	A project made for Evanston 348 units planned for three-phase project by Brian T. Sutton Illinois Estate Journal Vol. 6, No. 3 02/10/2003 Thomas Roszak has designed and is set to develop a condominium project for Evanston that is more in tune with Evanston than other recent projects. And he has the perfect site. Last spring, Roszak/ADC, a design-build firm in Evanston, began to formulate a design in his head and by summer he was solidifying the details on 1100 Clark Street Residences set for a 2.75-acre parcel, which is presently a parking lot, immediately west of downtown Evanston. "When you form a good idea it sticks with you work to find a solution for it.˛ The project is to feature 348 units spread over six buildings to be built in phases to follow sales of the condos. Roszak estimates a four-year sellout. All the buildings have a pyramidal design, with each step on the lower level featuring a large terrace. The buildings vary in heights from six to 20 stories by design to transition from the residential area to the west to denser core of the downtown to the east. At first there were eight buildings, but after meetings with area residents and the city, he cut two and increased the height of the remaining six. The buildings are to feature masonry concrete and steel, with views taking advantage of Chicago, Lake Michigan and Evanston. There will be a curtain wall system on upper floors for a lot of light in the units. There will be 40 different unit plans ranging from $170,000 to $700,000 and from 700 square feet for one bedroom to 2,500 square feet for three bedroom plus. "I think couple things set this apart from other Evanston condo projects and one is the great views. The other is the material and the appearance. The buildings mesh well with the city. I think one of the important things is that we worked close with city on the design element. We are providing a first-class type of development with first-class architecture. The design going up elsewhere in the city is made of concrete blocks with no creativity. This project has steps and curves that are in tune with what Evanston is about.˛ The project design also display green roof and green terraces, and other landscaping that is more along the line of a single-family development. "The motivation is that in Evanston you drive down Ridge, which borders the project, and it is full of trees and we wanted to maintain that.˛ He will take the project before the City Council in March and if all goes well start with sales in summer and construction by fall. The property the firm has under contract has been the subject of several plans over the years, but Roszak was the first to make a viable plan. "It was a very natural kind of thing,˛ he says. " This property was sitting there as a vacant lot and while other developers had approached the owner over the past 10 years to propose an offer, they couldnšt make it work. There have been proposals for retail, hotels, offices and a nursing home. Part of the problem is that they would have to provide parking for the office building across the street during construction and in some form of their final project.˛ One of the early stumbling blocks to the site is how to provide temporary parking during construction. He took his plan to the city for high-density residential use with quality design and a solution for the parking problem. "It made the seller happy and the city happy.˛ Roszak is pleased with the market and the timing of the project despite an up tick in apartment rentals. "Evanston has always had higher than average apartment vacancies. The condo buyer is a different type of person. When it comes to rental Evanston has typically had a problem with vacancy rates due to displacements. Recently there have been a lot of conversions that could be another reason. "Evanston is 25 percent cheaper than Chicago has with retail, cultural events, the lake. The timing is right for this project in Evanston and the buyers are there.˛ The buyers have also been there for Roszakšs other developments. The firm is set to finish the fourth and final building on the Chicago Avenue Place development at Chicago Avenue and Dempster Street and there are only a few units left. In addition, the new 1572 Maple Avenue project is starting off strong and the luxury 433 North Wells project in Chicagošs River North neighborhood retains only its priciest penthouses for sale after a slow start selling all other units. "The market for our sales has been quite strong,˛ he says. "Wešre finishing our last building at Chicago Avenue Place. Itšs been a very successful project. And the residents and neighbors have had a positive response to it. I know that 1100 Clark Street Residences will have the same effect.˛ Roszak/ADC 1415 Sherman Avenue Suite 101 Evanston, IL 60201 Main  847-425-7555 Sales  847-328-8200 Fax  847-425-7540 email inquiries: info@roszakadc.com copyright© 2003 Roszak/ADC. All rights reserved.