Big signs sometimes help. And for house hunters in unfamiliar territory, as I was in Schiller Park, the big “Condos” and “Grace Park” signs helped signal I had reached my destination.
There is little evidence of open space and no park that I could see. The project’s evocative name, I later learned, is a combination of the names of streets at the nearest intersection–Irving Park Road and Grace Street.
The wide, five-story development for adults 55 and older has many balconies, still needs landscaping and looks vaguely like a hotel–which fits right in with this street lined with retail and commercial buildings.
But if my first impression was that the condominium looked austere, even a bit sterile, I was more impressed once inside the front door.
The staff is friendly and helpful and the clean-lined contemporary lobby is cheerful.
And for a relatively small in-fill development, the promised community amenities include some typically associated with larger 55-plus projects.
There is a concierge for homeowners, a club room with a fireplace, dining area and an outside deck.
The top floor has a roof deck, exercise room and a guest apartment homeowners can reserve for visitors.
The development has a van to transport residents and serves breakfast three days a week so new residents can get acquainted. A bocce ball court, a community garden with raised plots for less bending and a pet exercise area also are planned.
Located at the edge of O’Hare International Airport, Schiller Park perhaps does not leap to mind when thinking of empty-nester or retirement housing. But a generational shift is occurring in many of the tidy homes on the side streets behind the warehouses and small manufacturing plants for which the suburb is known.
Many long-time residents who settled in the town in the decades following World War II are looking for a change.
“We thought we’d attract from about a one-mile radius, but the building has had a much broader draw,” says Donna Smithey, who with partner Mark Steele is co-owner of Building Solutions Chicago, developer of Grace Park.
The building is the first for-profit project for Smithey and Steele, who both previously worked in affordable housing for not-for-profit organizations.
The building is about 70 percent sold and the buyers range from 55 to 87 years old, Smithey said. More than 80 percent are coming from single-family houses.
“What characterizes the buyers is their liveliness and interest in an active life,” Smithey said. “They are looking for a little action. They are looking for some community.”
The early residents are coming from a several mile radius and include people from the Chicago neighborhoods of Portage Park, Dunning and Logan Square.
“They don’t feel safe, feel very alone. The neighbors are gone,” Smithey said about why some buyers have decided to leave their old homes.
Still most of the 55-plus set are notorious serial shoppers, slow to buy. To help ease the transition, Smithey and Steele devised a program of loan assistance and a Seniors Moving Solutions program to help with the sale of the old home.
There are nine floor plans and three are shown as models. Plan F, which doubles as the sales office, is the most appealing. Billed as a two-bedroom, 2 bath unit, it is the largest model with 1,449 square feet and a base price of $292,000.
Visitors step through the front door to find a coat closet immediately to the left and a door to the kitchen before the main living area, a 23-by-16-foot living/dining room. The kitchen, about 9 by 13 feet, is open to the living area and is separated from it by an L-shaped counter with granite top.
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A 6 1/2-by-11-foot balcony is outside the sliding doors in the main room. The balcony is big enough for a cafe table and two chairs to fit comfortably. There is a utility closet opening to the balcony.
To the right of the living room is the second bedroom, really more of a den at 10 by 12 feet. It has a big window and a closet across the width of the opposite wall.
To the right of the kitchen is a short hall past a secondary bath, 6 1/2 by 10 feet, which has a large laundry closet for a full-size, side-by-side washer and dryer. There is a door into the master bedroom suite, which includes an 8-by-10-foot bathroom and huge walk-in closet. The bedroom is nearly 10 by 18 1/2 feet.
The model as shown has about $18,000 in upgrades, including stainless steel appliances and stone-look flooring in the kitchen and baths. The choices are a good example of how judicious upgrade selections can making a basic unit more appealing.
Next door is a corner apartment, the E.1 plan. With 1,264 square feet, this is a described as a two bedroom with 2 baths and a base price of $262,000.
Those entering the unit will find a coat closet to the right, and the kitchen, 9 by 12 feet, also to the right. Visitors here step more quickly into the combined living/dining space, which is roughly 13 by 19/1/2 feet.
This is a unit where the master bedroom and the second bedroom/den are on opposite sides of the living room, a definite plus. The second bedroom/den is to the right of the living room and behind the kitchen.
The master bedroom suite is to the left of the public living space and on the corner of the building. This means the bedroom has the advantage of windows on two walls for more light and more views. It also has a walk-through closet into the master bath, 9 by 8 feet.
The second bath is somewhat smaller, about 8 by 8 feet, and is off the dining room. The washer and dryer are in a closet that opens into the living/dining area, which is awkward in my book.
The 870-square-foot, one-bedroom model is shown with the standard amenities and a base price of $181,000. The floor layout is similar to the E.1 plan minus the second bedroom/den.
As in many condo buildings, the rectangular shape of most of the rooms feels somewhat institutional and makes it difficult to decorate. The large dining/living room in the F plan breaks this pattern, which is a real plus.
This is a building with universal design features so the hallways, doors and baths are wider for an added roominess. This sensibility may be one reason the units, even those that are smaller, have decent-sized kitchens.
The addition of a full-size, side-by-side washer and dryer in each unit takes some precious inches from the living space and may provide more capacity than most seniors need; but they do eliminate the bending necessary with some stackable units.
One serious miscue, however, is not having all indoor parking. All buyers get an assigned space with purchase. Buyers of two bedroom units get a space in the underground garage. Those opting for a smaller unit are assigned an outdoor space, no fun for any age in Chicago winters — but especially not for seniors.
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Grace Park
Address: 9355 W. Irving Park Rd., Schiller Park
Developer: Building Solutions Chicago LLC
Phone: 847-671-7777
Web: www.graceparkcondos.com
Description: One bedroom, one bath to two bedroom, two bath condominiums in 99-unit five-story development for adults 55 years and older. Units have 870 to 1,530 square feet. Prices are from $175,500 for one bedroom units and from $225,900 for two bedroom units. Parking included. Monthly assessments from $140. Prices as of June 10.
Amenities: Nine-foot ceilings. In-unit, side-by-side washers and dryers; 42-inch upper kitchen cabinets, granite kitchen countertops. Private balconies; handicapped accessible. Club room with outdoor deck, bocce ball court, raised garden plots, courtesy van, Regency Wellness Center. Pets allowed.
Neighborhood: Near restaurants. On bus line, near expressways, O’Hare International Airport and forest preserve.
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