There’s a charming little shopping center in southwest suburban Willow Springs near the intersection of Archer Avenue and Willow SpringsRoad. Called the Old Willow, this string of businesses and stores would never be mistaken for a strip mall.
The facades of the buildings replicate the old-fashioned attached shops in small villages. The buildings sport mixes of materials (brick, stone, pink or teal or green weathered wood) and types of businesses (the essentials of life, like the Coffee House with sofas and tables with oversized checker and chess boards; flower, book and candy stores; architects’ and business services offices; tanning and manicure salons).
The diverse offerings and small-town aura of Old Willow seem a nice fit for the buyers who’ve been attracted to Renaissance Station, a town house development by Ryland Homes just east and north of the intersection and shops.
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This new development will have 131 town homes. Buyers who’ve signed contracts to date include singles and couples from their 20s on up to a few downsizers with varied occupations, according to sales representative Lisa Reichart. She says those buyers are split 50-50 in two ways: Half are from Chicago, half are from Willow Springs or neighboring communities; and half are first-time buyers.
The town homes would appeal in price and space to those who are moving from Chicago (more space for less money) and the handy little shops to those accustomed to neighborhood stores. There’s no Starbucks, but they can get that when they head to their jobs on the two expressways very nearby.
Buyers from the area, it would seem, will be happy staying close to their roots in a brand new community and still have some vestiges of neighborhood via Old Willow.
There’ll be far more amenities within the next three years or so, the time frame for completion of the Willow Springs Village Center, which will be adjacent to Renaissance Station. There’ll be a municipal building, Metra station, restaurants, numerous condominiums, senior housing, town homes, lots of retail and parking.
Renaissance Station has five floor plans and three models. All five plans are pretty well covered because two plans are identical to two others except for size. The Easton, a model, is 1,975 square feet; its companion, Berkely, is 1,745; the Dunmore measures 1,885 square feet; the Amherst, a model and the smallest town home, is 1,650.
The Chelsea, a model with a lot of appeal because it’s the only one that has a totally open living level, has 1,740 square feet, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the top level. Its drawback: It can’t be an end unit (even though the model is at the end). The Easton is easy to like because of its size. The first level includes living/dining/family rooms plus a kitchen (about 11 by 11 feet) that is open to the family room. The top-level master bedroom has two large walk-in closets.
The Amherst is at the opposite end in size. At 1,615 square feet, it’s the smallest, though it’s easy to see why it would be the choice of a first-time single buyer or a couple.
The plan shows the room at the front as living and dining rooms but the decorator has ignored that and put a nice dining table (that easily seats six) in the kitchen at the back of the house, next to the big balcony. So the living room is at the front of the house, along with the stairways and a powder room. Then there’s a big kitchen with standard island along with that dining area, which opens to what is called a family room, large enough for just two big chairs and a table.
That’s OK, but this L-shaped kitchen/eating area/family room can be whatever the owners want to call it. Decor and furniture placement determine what it will be.
On the top level is the master bedroom, a small bedroom and a loft space that’s great because of the natural light from big windows. It’s a good youth-oriented, first-home plan.
My personal favorite plan would be the Chelsea, except that it can’t be an end unit. But, for those who don’t need windows in their life (an absolute must for me), the plan is open and good for entertaining. The top level is much the same as the other plans with three bedrooms and two baths.
But, the living level is very different from the other four. The kitchen is near the front entrance, but you don’t bump right into it. It’s more than three-quarters enclosed, so a person walks into the dining area first (or the conveniently placed powder room) then into the 21- by almost 14-foot living room.
The whole first floor can be called a great room, if the buyers/owners want, because it’s one open sweep of space, except for a three-sided, glass-enclosed fireplace that acts as partial room divider, in this case between living and dining areas.
Here, I’d have the traditional style, up flat against the wall.
The pluses for all the plans: 2 1/2 bathrooms, basements, big balconies and, applause, all the double-car garages line up at the back of the town homes.
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Contact Genevieve Buck at the Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, 60611 or email [email protected].