Ashland Avenue in Lake View can be pretty desolate on some stretches. But when we walked down the street this week, we spotted a number of large condo projects that could make the street a new residential hub in the neighborhood.
Construction for Lofts at Lakeview Collection, 3201 N Ashland Ave, begins this summer and the current building on the site – a LaSalle Bank – will be torn down in the fall. The project has 131 one- and two-bedroom condos, some with dens. Deliveries are expected in summer 2009.
Just down the street, construction for LV Lofts (left) at 3245 N Ashland Ave is underway. The project has 24 units and was sold in phases. According to its Web site, five units are available. The site also has a pretty neat timeline detailing progress on the construction.
A few blocks north, construction for The VUE (above) at 3505 N Ashland Ave looks like it’s moving along though you can only see the structure’s outline so far. 
The five-story building will include 22 condos and has a fancy design. It has a strong vertical emphasis, floor-to-ceiling windows and includes a pillar that runs the full height of the building in the southwest corner. Move-ins are expected in December.
On the smaller side a little farther north, 3643 N Ashland Ave (right) has eight condos from $519,900. The frame of the building (though the view is blocked by a large tree) looked nearly complete.