Dubin Residential is a Chicago-based builder that has specialized in building in so-called “emerging” Chicago neighborhoods.
Translated, this means building new homes in long-established neighborhoods with sure signs of gentrification: Existing homes are being renovated and fixed up by newcomers, teardowns are making way for new houses or condo buildings and a Starbucks or a trendy new restaurant or two have opened.
Usually next door to areas where home prices and property values already are skyrocketing due to rampant gentrification, the emerging neighborhood usually has key transportation lines, whether major CTA routes, Metra lines or expressways, and has a retail shopping center in the vicinity.
Kilbourn Row, one of Dubin’s latest projects, certainly fits the formula and is evidence that the housing boom is not limited to the lakefront or near lakefront neighborhoods in Chicago.
It is located in a middle-class neighborhood with signage abounding in Spanish and Polish, not far from the Six Corners shopping district at the intersection of Irving Park Road, Cicero and Milwaukee Avenues.
The neighborhood has been enjoying a steady renaissance for several years thanks to its proximity to the Kennedy Expressway and the abundance of older, solid housing stock on tree-shaded streets.
This particular project, one of several in the area, is planned for 116 townhouses of which 62 already are sold.
Like a number of urban in-fill residences, this one is built on former commercial or industrial property. The site once was home to a candy factory, according to sales manager Adam Kraft.
The project’s address is on Belmont Avenue, a busy commercial thoroughfare, and the nearest neighbors are commercial — a lumber company on one side and a light manufacturing concern on another — but most of the development is oriented toward Kilbourn Avenue, a quiet residential side street. A couple of blocks north on Kilbourn is a bonus, a sizable park with ball fields, tennis courts and a field house.
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Visitors to the development will likely check out the snapshots of early buyers posted in the sales office. It is a veritable — and heart-warming — United Nations of surnames; the diversity apparently extends to age and family configuration as well.
Couples with and without children, mothers and child, singles, a same gender couple or two, young people and middle-agers are respresented.
Common denominators may be hard to determine — some are from this neighborhood or elsewhere in the city, others are moving to the city from the suburbs, says Kraft — but many are first-time buyers.
I am not surprised. These are starter homes — those remaining are from 1,673 square feet to 2,122 square feet including garage — and base prices start around $300,000.
The handful of larger and more expensive units — the 2,394-square-foot Plan D units with a base price of $364,900 — were snapped up early.
Oddly, the one model — Plan H — is the only floor plan of its kind in the development. It has 1,946 square feet and “is middle of the road” in size of the units available, Kraft says.
Floor plans essentially are variations on a theme: compact and utilitarian townhouses in close proximity with neighbors.
On the day I visited most of the units under construction were on the perimeter of the property, giving a sense of openness and space. But when all 116 townhouses are completed, I wonder what the proximity will mean for light and sound.
A single person, a couple, a parent and child will probably find these homes comfortable. Those with more than one child may find this a tight squeeze. And buyers needing lots of closet space or large amounts of storage are likely to be parking one of the two cars on the street.
Every inch matters here; so I would urge serious shoppers to bring a tape measure and the sizes of current furnishings for a reality check when visiting.
The front door opens into a 14 1/2-foot-by-11 1/2-foot den or flex space on the ground level. A small closet and a separate larger closet for the unit’s mechanical equipment are at the back of the den where a door leads to the two-car garage. The stairway to the upper levels is in a corner to the left of the front door.
It leads to the second level with an open plan where the living room flows into the dining area and open kitchen. I like the open feel of this floor — on the floor plan the living room is listed as slightly more than 18 feet by 15 feet and the adjacent dining room is about 12 feet by 11 feet — and would like it even more without the partial wall with a fireplace and television niche, an upgrade, dividing the living room from the dining area.
Built-ins are desirable when space is limited.; however, this wall takes up precious space and limits how furnishings can be arranged.
The hardwood floors, which are standard, enhance and unify the space and the whole area benefits from the large windows and the light from three sides of the building. Remember, however, the model is on a corner so the light may not be so generous in interior units.
There is a small deck, big enough for two outdoor chairs, off the dining area. To the left of the living room and dining area is a compact bathroom, with a corner shower, that entering and exiting will be in full view whenever there is a party.
The kitchen is roughly 10 1/2 feet by 9 1/2 feet and has a window over the sink looking out to the alley below. It is shown with 42-inch maple cabinets and, given the limited space, even if on a budget, I would consider them a storage necessity.
The stairway at the corner of the living room leads to the third floor, which is shown as a three-bedroom plan. At the top of the stairs, a visitor faces the closet for the stackable washer and dryer and the entrance to the bath. To the right is the door to the master bedroom and to the left two small secondary bedrooms.
The master bedroom, at nearly 16 by 10 1/2 feet and with windows on two walls, is an appealing space. It has big windows, lots of light and a standard-sized closet.
The bath is economically arranged with tub, toliet and two sinks. The latter is a smart move because it is unlikely that whoever goes down one level to the shower in the morning will remember to drag all the necessary makeup, shaving equipment or clothes.
The second bedrooms are small — about 9 feet by 9 feet in one case and 8 1/2 feet by 11 feet in the other — as are the closets. Even those with two children would be better served by combining the space into a single, more spacious and more flexible room.
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Kilbourn Court
Address: 4500 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Developer: Dubin Residential
Phone: 773-777-7558 or www.mydubin.com
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Description: 116 three-level townhouses with two to three bedrooms, two to three baths, dens, attached two-garages ranging from 1,673 to 2,122 square feet base-priced from $298,390 to $311,900. Monthly assessments $150. Prices as of June 7.
Amenities: 9-foot ceilings; hardwood flooring in living room, dining room and kitchen; Whirlpool appliances; washer-dryer hook-ups; air conditioning; pre-wired for cable and telephone in most rooms; decks.
Neighborhood: Near Kilbourn Park, with ball fields, tennis courts and fieldhouse. About a mile from the Six Corners shopping district. Near CTA bus lines, rapid transit and Metra station.