Steve Golovan has been developing projects in Lake View and the surrounding neighborhoods for more than 25 years – so long that it’s becoming difficult to get an accurate count of all the projects that bear his name.
Suffice it to say that The Chelsea at 2921 – 2927 N Lincoln Ave, a joint venture between Stillpoint Development and Castlebar Enterprises, Inc. (of which Golovan is chairman), will be the latest in a long line of successful residential projects.
The brick and masonry exterior of the 12-unit development partners well with the neighborhood’s architecture, but the project acquires a style of its own through the placement of large balconies along the street line above 3,700 square feet of ground-floor retail space.
The irregular lot and the first-floor retail character of the neighborhood presented challenges, says project architect Jeff Goulette, a partner in the firm of Sullivan, Goulette & Wilson Ltd, but the factors also enhanced the design possibilities.
“The layout gave us the ability to do a couple of different things,” said Goulette. “First, we could design the front façade with oversized balconies, allowing access from the large living areas to likewise-large outdoor spaces. We also took advantage of the irregularity of the footprint by ‘jigsawing’ the unit floor plans, interweaving and interconnecting them, so that no two units are truly alike.”
Golovan said the challenges of The Chelsea made it a perfect project for his company.
“There are a number of us who love dealing with unique situations,” he explained. “Our group has a lot of aesthetic talent, and The Chelsea gives us an opportunity to exploit our preferences and take advantage of the spacious living areas.”
The Chelsea is actually two buildings developed together. The 2927 building is a walk-up, with a trio of three-bedroom, two-bath homes, each totaling 1,605 square feet. The 2927 homes have large front decks, and the third and fourth-floor homes also include private roof decks with skyline views.
The 2921 building contains nine residences and features an elevator and indoor parking. Three of the units are 1,204-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath homes. The other six condos are three-bedroom, two-bath models and range in size from 1,642 to 1,772 square feet. Each of the nine homes has a private deck off the living room. The two three-bedroom residences on the second level have large rear decks.
Some of the unit amenities include fireplaces and balconies, hardwood floors in living areas, bedroom carpeting, washers and dryers, multimedia prewiring, mocha-stained kitchen and bath cabinetry, stainless-steel kitchen appliances, stone countertops in kitchen and baths and heated master bath stone floors.
Pricing ranges from the $470s to the $650s, and in March eight of the 12 condos were still available, according to Jim Miller, of Koenig & Strey GMAC Real Estate.
The Chelsea’s furnished model is open on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment.