By Dana Dubriwny
Planning is key at Roosevelt Square, a $750 million development by Related Midwest and Quest Development on the Near West Side.
Six phases, each consisting of about 450 homes, were initially envisioned for the site, which started life as a public housing complex. Today, with just three units left in the first phase, the developers are moving quickly to break ground on the second phase.
“By breaking it down into phases, we are able to review and change each phase as we go along, detailing different things from phase-to-phase,” says Michael Kelly, sales director with Related Midwest. “It really gives us some time to change things that the market is looking for and get neighborhood input.”
The objective, according to Kelly, has been to complete one phase every two years. The 137-acre development, once home to 12,000 residents in the city’s ABLA Homes, has kept reasonably close to that schedule, delivering the first group of homes in just over two years.
Phase two, which will begin construction in the summer, includes 255 for-sale homes, 75 of which are designated as affordable units, as well as 185 rental units. Residences are available in single-family homes, townhouses, six- and 12-unit condo buildings and larger 45-unit condo buildings.
These larger buildings feature an elevator, fitness center and available heated indoor parking. Two-bedroom units are priced from the $310s and three-bedroom condos are priced from the $400s.
In the six- and 12-flat condo buildings, three floor plans are available: the Washington, a 1,057 square-foot two-bedroom, one-bath priced from the $310s; the Lincoln, a 1,292 square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath starting in the $320s; and the Sheridan, a 1,387 square-foot two-bedroom, two-bath unit starting in the $350s.
The townhouses also offer three distinct layouts: the Jackson, a 2,079 square-foot two-bedroom, 2.5-bath unit starting in the $490s; the Burnham, a 2,525 square-foot three-bedroom, three-bath priced from the $600s; and the Belmont, a 2,626 square-foot three-bedroom, three-bath unit starting in the $640s.
All of the homes include maple cabinetry; laminate countertops with a four-inch backsplash; double-bowl, stainless-steel over-mount sinks; yellow birch flooring; and stainless-steel GE appliances.
Roosevelt Square is only one part of the prospering, mixed-use University Village development. The area borders the University of Illinois at Chicago to the south and west, with proximity to the Illinois Medical District and the Dan Ryan and Eisenhower expressways.
“It’s exciting when you’re transforming a neighborhood,” Kelly says. “We’ve created jobs, brought together people on different wavelengths and given people the opportunity to buy a beautiful home. That makes it all worth it at the end of the day.”
The sales center, located at 1200 W Roosevelt Rd, is open Monday through Wednesday and on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.