A couple weeks ago, I blogged about the one-bedrooms at Renaissance Lofts in Rogers Park. At the time, they seemed to be the least expensive lofts in all of Chicago, followed closely by the one-bedrooms at Rogers Lofts, Shoemaker Lofts and McKinley Park Lofts.
An article in the latest Near West Gazette suggests that there may be a new king of the affordable loft market, however. GenOne Group, developer of the Flats on Fulton condominiums in East Garfield Park, plans to follow that project with a 63-unit live / work conversion one block north at 3021 W Carroll Ave.
The Carroll Street Lofts will start in the mid-$100s and top out in the low $200s, says GenOne partner Brad Anthony. (And yes, they should be the Carroll Avenue Lofts. Take it up with him, not me.) Floor plans will range from 700 square-foot studios to 1,200 square-foot two-bedrooms. A lot of the building’s one-bedrooms should come in well below $200,000 and even below Renaissance’s $184,900 price tag.
Anthony says the homes will have 10- to 13-foot ceiling heights, thick pillars, exposed brick and large windows, just as one would expect from a converted concrete warehouse. He didn’t have specifics on the units’ designs but said they would be “more in line with the old, original lofts than soft lofts,” which may mean that we’ll see fewer finishes there than at higher-priced lofts.
Anthony calls East Garfield Park “an up-and-comer” thanks to the Green Line and expects the lofts’ location and prices to attract artists, self-employed workers and first-time buyers. He’s pleased with the outcome of the Flats on Fulton condos and says GenOne will continue to build similar three-flats along Fulton Street.