Cobble Creek, a town-home community under construction in far north suburban Gurnee, is bordered on three sides by Heather Ridge, a 27-year-old subdivision that includes condos, single-family homes and town homes.
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And, that’s a distinct advantage.
Rather than springing up in the middle of farm land–like so many suburban communities have been doing, or joining several side-by-side new communities, each with hundreds of cookie-cutter homes–Cobble Creek seems to fit in comfortably with Heather Ridge’s mix of established homes and mature trees.
Granted, the clusters of town homes already up in Cobble Creek are nearly identical to one another and all have the requisite attached garages filling the streetscape. But, that’s somewhat mitigated by each building’s abundance of windows, its pale taupe aluminum siding teamed with red brick.
Additionally, some of the necessities of life that new communities often have to wait for long have been up and running:
Two small strip malls on Milwaukee Avenue (Illinois Highway 21), an easy few minutes’ walk from Cobble Creek, include a dry cleaner, mailing service, deli, pet groomer and video store. Within one of the malls, there’s even a pub and grill that seems to be the equivalent of the friendly neighborhood tavern that serves up hearty food along with brews and TV sports–and, on a recent afternoon, some food shows complete with asides by the bar’s clientele.
For grander shopping excursions, there are large stores not far away and mammoth Gurnee Mills is up the road.
Though Cobble Creek is attracting singles as well as young and empty-nester couples, according to sales manager Eilene McAndrews, new residents with (or expecting) families will certainly perk up when they see the large pre-school right on Manchester Drive, the street off Milwaukee that leads to Cobble Creek’s models.
About those models: There are four unfurnished (though finished in that they’re carpeted and have all cabinetry in place), one furnished. That’s the Grand Teton, the largest, at 1,750 square feet, and top-priced at $183,990.
Offering unfurnished and furnished models, then requiring prospects to tour them all, ought to be mandatory. Seeing barren models–some with upgrades, some not–forces potential owners to really study the rooms themselves, to be aware of the flow of the floor plan, and look for quality workmanship and materials without being distracted by decor.
That’s especially so here at Cobble Creek where the Grand Teton–though enhanced by a soothing green-and-cream color scheme–is overwhelmed with fake plants and flowers and too many gilt frames and doodads.
The five floor plans include both ground- and upper-level ranches and three two-story homes. They all have at least two bedrooms and two baths, two-car garages, decks on the buildings with basements, otherwise with patios. All also have 9-foot first-floor ceilings, at least one walk-in closet and hook-ups for laundry appliances; four have kitchens with generous eating space.
Of the ranches, the second-level Blue Ridge is a winner for those who don’t mind a 16-step flight of stairs. It’s the lowest price, at $161,990, with 1,585 square feet; has a bit of foyer at the top of the stairway; a great room rather than living and dining rooms; a very large kitchen/breakfast room centered with a good-sized island; and two bedrooms and baths.
And, because it’s over the ground-level end-unit ranch, it has plenty of windows, including in the kitchen. It-s great for a single or ideal for a single parent and child.
Of the two-story town homes, the Grand Teton stands out for several reasons (no, not just money or size). It’s the only one with a family room along with a living/dining room (12 feet by nearly 26 feet, including bay); the stairway to the second floor is behind the entry, so it’s unobtrusive; and it’s all very open and airy, especially with the third bedroom opened up as a loft.
The two-story living room by itself isn’t all that large but it certainly serves the purpose of having a formal place to welcome guests. But the adjacent family room, separated by a wall, opens to the large kitchen. There’s a nice synergy here in that the family room is definitely not part of the living room but its placement certainly makes it ideal for interaction and spillover when that’s desirable, say, when entertaining for family holiday gatherings.
In the model, that wall separating family from living room has two large openings decorated with shutters. The shutters are the decorator’s idea, but the openings are standard–and that’s something I’d have to think about. They sort of defeat the purpose of separation of casual and formal, but they certainly would allow the people in one room to keep an eye on what’s going on in the other room.