While the new residential construction boom has occurred in almost every corner of Chicago, the biggest and most visible concentration has been in and around the heart of the city and along the lakefront, both north and south.
Development in less visible neighborhoods can get overlooked because the projects are smaller and far from heavily trafficked thoroughfares. But they signal a vibrancy that is not limited to the Loop or hot North Side neighborhoods.
A new 99-house project in Auburn Gresham on Chicago’s South Side is a case in point.
Although there has been no new construction in this stable neighborhood for decades, the popularity of a new development of bungalow-style houses in the nearby Chatham neighborhood convinced developer Jay Johnson, president of Cornerstone Residential Group, that the time was right for this area.
The Havens is not far from a lively retail center on 87th Street near the Dan Ryan Expressway and is close to the CTA’s Red Line. There also is a Metra stop nearby.
This project is on a 16-acre triangular site bordered by South Parnell Avenue on the west, 87th Street on the south and a commercial rail line outside a now-defunct steel plant. Home buyers benefit from the fact that the project is part of a city of Chicago tax increment financing district for infrastructure improvements and land acquisition, which Johnson says provides the equivalent of $40,000 per house.
Since opening sales last summer, contracts for about 40 percent of the Havens houses have been completed. City workers, police and firefighters are well represented among the early buyers.
A model is open and prospective buyers can visit homes as they are constructed. A second model, with a larger floor plan, is expected to open by summer.
The sales brochure calls these homes “the 21st Century interpretation of the famous Chicago bungalow.”
Traditional bungalows they are not, however. In fact, “bungalow,” which to me connotes something with a shaded porch or overhang, may be a misnomer in some of the plans.
These are dwellings with a contemporary bent. The front facades are brick with limestone accents to blend and tie in with the existing neighborhood. The sides and back of the houses have vinyl siding.
The payoff for this modern styling, however, is on the inside. These are houses with lots of natural light. And because they are not cookie-cutter models, the windows of one building do not look into the windows of a neighbor.
The property is divided into 30-foot wide lots, several feet broader than the Chicago norm, allowing the houses to be wider than most urban counterparts.
The floor plans are named for well-known African-American colleges or universities such as Morehouse, Howard and Fisk.
The model now open is the 1,984-square-foot Spelman (Plus) with four bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths and with a base price of $254,000, about $128 per square foot. However, the model is shown with $76,650 in options of which the finished basement accounts for about half. Also included are an optional bay window, hardwood floors, fireplace and granite countertops. The floor plan is open and airy on the main floor; yet the rooms, which flow front to back, are defined.
A visitor steps into the front door into a cleverly designed small entry with a coat closet to the left of the living room.
While this is little more than an alcove, it is space enough to greet a guest and take a coat with some measure of intimacy before stepping into the openness of the 14-by-22-foot living room.
The living room is shown with an optional fireplace with simple but elegant detail on the wall opposite the front windows. The stairway to the second floor and the basement is from the living room behind the foyer.
Like the small foyer, the 13-by-12-foot dining room behind the living room is offset slightly.
While there is a clear walkway from the front door to the back of the house, this slightly to the left of center dining room allows space for furniture out of the traffic path and the feeling of a more traditional dining area.
As a corner unit, the model has a bay window in the dining room adding to the room’s space and light. The powder room, off the dining room behind the fireplace, is nicely placed.
The family room, not quite 13-by-15 feet, is behind the dining room and opens to the 8 1/2-by-15-foot kitchen.
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The “Plus” in the model, and at least one other floor plan, is a fourth bedroom. For my taste–and this is a decision best made by individual family need–the “plus” would be eliminated in favor of the basic three-bedroom Spelman plan, which has the same number of square feet and has slightly larger bedrooms. It also has two walk-in closets that are equal to small rooms.
Both plans have a master bath with double sinks standard and a hall bathroom. But the bedrooms in the “Plus” model seem cramped.
The master bedroom is 12-by-14 1/2 feet with a private bath and walk-in closet. The other bedrooms–the small one is 10-by-10 feet–have limited closet space.
Two upgrades worth considering, if they can be afforded, are a finished basement, shown in the model, and a detached garage.
Car pads at the back of the property on the alley are standard, but an optional two-car garage on the alley is $7,000 more.
Roomy unfinished basements also are standard, but the finished rooms in the model show how much light-filled and liveable space can be added for $38,000.
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The Havens
Address: 8505 S. Parnell Ave., Chicago
Developer: Cornerstone Residential Group
Phone: 773-442-8367 or www.havenschicago.com
Description: A development planned for 99 single-family houses along Parnell Avenue between 85th and 87th Streets. Floor plans are from 1,300 to 2,800 square feet and have three or four bedrooms and 1 1/2 to 3 1/2 baths. Some plans have detached parking behind the house and other plans have front-load, two-car attached garage. Base prices: From $185,000 to $289,000. Prices as of Jan. 8.
Amenities: Nine-foot ceilings in first floor and basement, extra-wide lot, pre-wired for cable and high-speed category 5 wiring, solid core wood doors.
Neighborhood: In the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood north of 87th Street, within blocks of shopping, Dan Ryan Expressway, CTA and Metra rail service. Near parks, elementary schools and the new Simeon High School.
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Past House Hunter columns: CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM/HOMES