Chatham Crossing sales fueled by neighborhood returnees

With all of the buzz surrounding new developments in mid-South Side neighborhoods such as North Kenwood, Woodlawn and Bronzeville, little seems to be said about the possibilities for development in a number of very stable neighborhoods further south.

One of those overlooked areas is Chatham, a middle-class African-American enclave since the 1960s. With some of the best retail outlets on the far South Side (Jewel, Dominick’s, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc.), it’s clear that commercial developers have paid attention to the area.

Residential development has been rather slow to follow, but DeGrazia Development Co. saw an opportunity.

Last fall, the company launched pre-construction sales of The Homes Of Chatham Crossing, a $25 million development including 64 single-family homes and condos (which it calls “parkhomes”) at 90th and State St. in Chatham.

Phase I of the construction includes 11 single-family homes of more than 3,000 square feet, with three or four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms, as well as 14 parkhomes of nearly 2,400 square feet, with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths.

Single-family home prices start in the low $400,000 range, then move up to the mid-$400,000 category. The parkhomes start in the low $300,000 range.

Some 50% of the single-family homes in Phase I have been sold out, says Christine Frizzelle, sales manager at Chatham Crossing.

The solid results have come with virtually no marketing effort, Frizzelle commented, attracting “well-heeled” and sophisticated buyers.

“I have people coming from the suburbs to return to Chatham,” she added. “They grew up here, they love it here, they have fond memories of this neighborhood, they’d like to be closer to the city, and they think we’re delivering a tremendous product. It’s an all-around lifestyle win-win.”

Such familiarity with the neighborhood means that Frizzelle says she has to field few questions about safety, or about the quality of the local schools.

Buyers are also familiar with the adjacent Chatham Club development, which consists of 143 Prairie-style homes built in the 1990s. That project’s success helped convince DeGrazia Development that the time was right for another large tract of affordable housing, but with upgraded features befitting current expectations.

Some people inevitably assume that Chatham Crossings is actually another phase of the Chatham Club development, given the developments’ proximity, but there is no connection between the two entities.

“I’m here in a trailer on this vacant lot, and I’m surrounded by all the houses of Chatham Club. So they naturally think that [we’re] an extension of what’s already here.”

No model homes have been constructed at Chatham Crossing, so Frizzelle has to make her case to potential buyers using nothing but floor plans and drawings of what the finished dwellings will look like.

On a floor plan of the single-family homes, she points to the first level, noting the formal foyer entry into the 18×12 living room space, which is entirely open. “So there’s a big wow, all at once — boom,” she says.

She then points out the eat-in kitchen, such a focal point in the modern home, which is surrounded by a granite-topped peninsula. “You can have messy stuff going on in here, but when folks come in the house, they can’t necessarily see what’s going on,” she said.

There are several bar stools situated just in front of the right side of the peninsula. “For me, this is a breakfast bar — pancakes and orange juice, pendant lighting. For Thanksgiving, maybe take the bar stools away and use it as a sideboard, a buffet.”

Standout features on the second floor include room for a home office, two large his-and-hers walk-in closets, and a master bath that offers windows. “And you have guest bedrooms, which are equitable [in size], so if you have two children, there isn’t any arguing over who gets the better room.”

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