On Saturday morning, I followed Joe’s lead and visited some open houses on the North Side. One of the first stops I made was to SoNo, Smithfield Properties‘ 28-story high-rise at 860 W Blackhawk St, because the sales center recently moved into the building, and I wanted see the views that we’ve been hearing so much about. The building is at least twice as tall as any nearby buildings, giving it a “SoNopoly” on the skyline views, according to one of the banners on Blackhawk Street, and you can see most of the city from the 17th-floor model.
Initial plans for SoNo called for a second tower to the east that would be a mirror image of the first. While I was there, I spoke with @properties agent David Wiencek about the fate of the second tower, and he assured me that it would be built, but that plans had changed. Instead of condominiums, the second phase will house rental apartments, and it won’t be located directly to the east of the first tower. Instead, it will be slightly offset, so the two buildings will create an “L” shape (although they won’t be set at a 90-degree angle).
The balconies for the second building will be inset, Wiencek says, so it won’t have the same large rack of balconies that’s seen on the first building. Wiencek says ground will break on the rental high-rise in the spring. One positive effect of the change in plans that I can think of is that the second building might not block views to the east from the balconies of the first building (above, at left).
Seventy-five one- to three-bedroom condos are currently available in SoNo, and prices range from the $270s to the $590s.
– Rate and review SoNo at NewHomeNotebook.com.
