What to say about a housing development that lacks several features you think necessary and sensible, but you kind of like anyway?
That is my reaction to the Lofts at Village Centre, part of a three-story retail and residential complex at the intersection of Illinois Highway 83 and Northwest Highway in the heart of Mt. Prospect.
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The new construction building is a centerpiece of the revitalization of Mt. Prospect’s downtown. With elements of traditional styling, the brick exterior reflects the material used for the houses in the tree-filled surrounding neighborhoods. The building has retail shops including a restaurant, a dairy, branch bank and dry cleaners on the ground floor. The lofts are on floors two and three above the stores.
These are, for the most part, not your cookie-cutter condos. There are 14 floorplans for the 34 condos — 23 sold, eleven still available — and several are downright quirky. Bruce Adreani (the name as published has been corrected in this text), president of Norwood Builders, which built the complex, has said they should appeal to a first-time or non-traditional buyer. I couldn’t agree more.
This is housing for those who like being in the center of things or need to be close to transportation. Not only is Village Centre at a busy intersection but it is across the street from Mt. Pros-pect’s Metra commuter station. Homeowners who step out onto their balcony at the front of the building can watch the trains and car traffic with their morning coffee while the balconies at the back of the building overlook the parking lot.
Despite 30 years of urban-living credentials, I have opted to live in the relative quiet of residential side streets, usually with some amount of sound muffling greenery, because I am sensitive to noise. It is perhaps a credit to Norwood Builders, a company that has done a number of residential projects in suburban downtowns, that train and auto traffic was practically inaudible in the building. I visited mid-day on a weekday, however, and would advise serious shoppers to ask about visiting during peak rush hours for a sound check.
And before going further, let’s deal with the label “lofts.” The term, especially as it applies to new construction in a suburban downtown, intrigued me enough to visit Village Centre.
True, these condos are over the store and half, technically, are in the attic of the building. But nine-foot ceilings do not a loft make, especially because that ceiling height isn’t uncommon anymore. The higher peaked ceiling, which was dry-walled, in a third-floor unit just looked like one more cathedral ceiling. These “lofts” have none of the exposed wood beams, ductwork or mechanical equipment that characterized the spaces carved from old warehouses and commercial buildings. And the concrete walls, floors and ceilings on the second floor are so refined (and this is a compliment not a complaint) I asked whether it had a special coating.
The closest to a commercial-style loft feeling is the largest and most expensive model, the 2,075-square-foot Escher priced at $438,200.
The combined area of what the floorplan designates as the living room and family room is about 23 feet by 17 feet. The space is broken only by a stand-alone two-sided fireplace. This large room opens onto the 18 1/2- by 11-foot kitchen and is made even bigger by an adjacent 9- by 11-foot dining room with a partial wall. Add in the white walls, light wood flooring, cabinetry with dark granite countertops and the general feeling approximates the extravagant space that was a hallmark of those original warehouse residences.
The unit is completed with a generous master bedroom suite with two big walk-in closets and bath as well as a second bedroom, bath and laundry..
Because the building is a truncated J-shape with one long arm and a very short crook, the end units and those in the crook have some unorthodox room shapes, which I found surprisingly charming. Generally, I would consider rooms with walls at right angles the most sensible if for nothing more that easy furniture placement. But I found that some walls at angles other than 90-degrees force individuality and creative problem solving, not all of which works.
The smallest unit, for example, is the one bedroom, one-bath Mondrian model, a corner unit at the back of the building. At 861 square feet (including a small terrace), the $247,600 condo has many windows and is suffused with light. But the angle of the outside wall means the overall floorplan is more in the shape of a triangle than the usual rectangle or square. The unit has a nifty two-door bathroom, one door just inside the condo’s front entrance and another from the bedroom so a guest can use the bathroom without walking into the bedroom. Putting an optional stackable washer and dryer in the unit is the right idea and it might have worked in the big walk-in closet. But fitting the unit into closet-like niche opening into the bedroom robs that odd-shaped room of precious wall space.
Across the hall from the Mondrian, the one-bedroom, one-bathroom Matisse floorplan has about 1,226 square feet, much of it in a 22 1/2-foot by 22 1/2-foot octagonal great room that opens onto a 13-by 13 1/2-foot kitchen. This atrium-like room with a fireplace on one wall and windows on five walls could appeal to a buyer with a sense of drama. Too bad it overlooks the highway and railroad and not green trees and gardens.
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The Lofts at Village Centre, Mt. Prospect
Address: 40 E. Northwest Highway
Developer: Norwood Builders
Phone: 847-577-0100 or www.norwoodbuilders.com Description: Development of 34 condominiums on two floors above retail shops in downtown Mt. Prospect with choice of one- and two-bedroom floorplans from 825 to 2,075 square feet. Outdoor terrace/balcony included in square footage.
Prices: $246,200 to $438,200 as of Nov. 3. Monthly assessments, $194.50 to $475.
Amenities: One indoor heated parking space included; in-unit laundry area; Corian countertops; hardwood flooring in kitchens and foyers.
Neighborhood: Intersection of Illinois Highway 83 and Northwest Highway; close to Metra station and shopping.
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