Elgin, once known by the watches and clocks made in the community, now is known by many for the Grand Victoria Casino moored on the Fox River.
But this 150-year old city is working hard to re-ignite its once-bustling downtown into a lively residential as well as commercial district.
River Park Place is the first of several housing developments planned for the heart of the city and the project has a plum site across the street from the site of the planned Festival Park.
Developed by three established Elgin firms–Plote Construction, Par Development and Repco–the project was seen as something of gamble. The project includes Elgin’s first downtown condominium, with 60 units, and 116 three-story brick townhouses.
The condos, priced from about $200,000 to $300,000, sold quickly. Furthermore, 42 of the townhouses have been sold and 13 already are occupied.
The response should not be surprising. The project not only overlooks a good-sized waterway–now popular with buyers–but it is within walking distance of the Metra station, the Gail Borden library and Hemmens Cultural Arts Center, as well as the casino. Oh, and there are several restaurants, shops and professional offices within sight too.
This is the kind of development that will appeal only to those who like the messy mix of an urban setting, not the well-tended and carefully planned organization of suburban subdivisions. The downtown area is a combination of the beautiful and ugly, the old and new.
Festival Park is still a work in progress; construction for this project and others will be kicking up dust for a couple of years and the view of the rail lines on the opposite bank of the river is less than picture postcard.
Many, though not all, of the buyers for the sold-out condo complex were empty-nesters with ties to the community looking to downsize or aiming to trade in a big suburban house.
The townhouse buyers, while varied, tend to be younger, first-time buyers who relish the vertical space, the option of a roof deck, and beginning prices well under $200 a square foot.
They will be living on land once home to a row of automobile showrooms. Like a number of large-scale revitalization efforts, the land was considered polluted and has been cleaned to Environmental Protection Agency standards. Several inches of new dirt have been added to the site.
Proximity to water always raises questions in my mind about flooding–though not apparently in the minds of many others.
“You’d be surprised how few people ask about that,” said sales representative Lori Gartrell who said that has not been a problem for downtown Elgin.
Serious shoppers may have encountered the townhouse floor plans designed by Chicago architecture firm Papageorge/Haymes in other developments. I toured them in one of the so-called transit-oriented developments near a commuter station in another suburban downtown.
They have a better site in Elgin if only because once you step out the door, there is the possibility of a water–not commuter station–view.
There are four floor plans and three decorated models.
My favorite is the Brookstone, an interior unit with just less than 2,000 square feet, and a base price of $251,900.
The unit is the largest floor plan by a few feet, except for the optional expansion of the Dawson floor plan.
The Brookstone has two bedrooms, a den or home office and 1 1/2 baths. Prices begin at $251,900. All the units have attached two-car garages.
The front door opens from a small covered porch into a ground level room which could be a home office or family room, 13 1/2 by about 15 feet.
There is a coat closet just inside the front door. Behind the family room and across from the stairs to the second main living floor is a powder room which can be upgraded to a full bath with the addition of a shower, for about $3,000.
Behind the powder room at the back of the ground level is the garage, about 17 by 19 feet. It’s a two-car space but would be snug for two big SUVs.
Up one flight is the main living area, an open airy space with good natural light from windows at the front and back of the unit. The kitchen with sliding door to a small balcony is at the back. A counter divides the kitchen from the dining room, but doesn’t cut off the light.
The 10-foot ceiling on the main living level helps give a feeling of spaciousness, and the designer has been smart in showing the possibilities of this plan.
There is room to seat eight at the square dining room in the dining area, about 12 1/2 by 12 1/2 feet. The living room, 17 by 19 1/2 feet, is shown not with a fireplace but with comfortable seating and a big-screen television, a consideration for many buyers.
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One flight up is the master bedroom at the front of the units. It’s big enough for a king-size bed with side tables. There are two good-sized closets in the bedroom, which opens to a very comfortable bathroom.
In this model, the bath is shown as a Jack `n Jill version with a door from the smaller bedroom at the back of unit as well as from the master bedroom. The hookup for the washer and dryer is on this level, although there is little space for sorting, detergent and a laundry basket.
Three of the models have the garage door at the back of the unit.
The Dawson model “looks like a real home with the garage doors next to the front door,” observed sales manager Christine Plazak.
Her comment jolted me for a moment until it sunk in that for those who grew up in the suburbs, a front-loading garage is the norm and a garage at the back is unusual.
The Dawson, which I visited while under construction and which is now opened as a furnished model, differs in other ways too. The standard three-level floor plan is about 1,900 square feet. The model shows the floor plan expanded to 2,400 square feet with the addition of a fourth level. That expansion allows a third bedroom or bonus room (it is shown as a game room), a third bath and rooftop deck, a $67,000 option. All the windows and natural light flow from the front facade. There are no windows from the other three sides of the building.
The front entrance is to the right side of the unit on the ground level. Inside the front door is a coat closet to the right and a den, about 9 by 14 feet, to the left of the foyer and next to the garage.
A short hall with a door from the garage is behind the den. The passage from the garage and the foyer meets at the stairway.
The stairs lead up to the main living level and into the kitchen, which opens to the dining room and living room, which has a bay window.
One minus for me in this plan is the powder room; the door is directly at the top of the stairs. It is an awkward placement, because exiting the powder room can mean running into someone reaching the top of the stairs. And who wants to see a bathroom while climbing the stairs?
Up one more flight is the bedroom level. In this plan, the master bedroom and the secondary bedroom each have a bath. A washer and dryer closet is in the short hallway between the two bedrooms.
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River Park Place
Address: 155 South Grove Ave., Elgin
Developer: River Park Place LLC, a partnership of Plote Construction, Par Development and Repco.
Phone: 847-608-8600
Web: www.riverparkplacehomes.com
Description: 116 townhouses and 60 condominiums. Townhouses, two to three bedrooms, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 bathrooms in 1,875 to 2,400 square feet with two-car attached garages. Prices from $261,900 to $307,900. Monthly assessments $100. Prices as of April 11.
Amenities: Nine- and 10-foot ceilings, solid core doors, prewired in three locations for cable and phone; oak or maple cabinets, laminated countertops, Corian bath vanity counters, ceramic tile in entry and bath floors, 12 SEER air conditioner.
Neighborhood: Downtown Elgin. Walking distance to recreation center, Fox River Bike trail, casino, cultural center, commuter train stations, restaurants, stores.