Like children’s names, the most popular monikers for new home developments seem to go in waves.
Remember when every new subdivision was some kind of Pointe–with an “e” at the end?
“Station” is today’s hot title, the equivalent of Jennifer or Emma for Chicago-area developments.
Erik Doersching, vice-president of Schaumburg-based Tracy Cross & Associates, a firm that does real estate market analysis, reports there now are about 50 developments that are within walking distance of commuter rail lines.
Not all have “station” in the project name, but enough are using the word that it is fast becoming a public transportation signal to traffic-weary buyers.
Most “station” projects are small projects by contemporary subdivision standards, squeezed as they are onto land previously used for commercial ventures or thought to be unsuitable for houses.
Most are in-town developments aimed at providing buyers new-construction homes close to coffee shops and other small retail businesses, eliminating the need to hop into a car for every little errand.
The vibrant neighborhoods that have developed around several pioneering efforts of this kind of development–Arlington Heights comes to mind–have helped revitalize some flagging suburban downtowns. Now most Chicago suburbs and several Chicago neighborhoods appear to be trying to duplicate those successes with a similar formula.
One of those is west suburban Wood Dale, midway on the Metra line between Chicago and Elgin.
Just west of O’Hare International Airport, Wood Dale is a suburb of more than 13,000 people that to this first-time visitor looked a lot like the family-oriented bedroom communities of the 1960s and 1970s. Tucked between Elk Grove Village to the north, Itasca to the west, Elmhurst to the south and Bensenville to the east, it is in DuPage County.
Wood Dale Station, which is on Irving Park Road a mile west of Illinois Highway 83, is planned as a three-building retail and residential project. It has just broken ground.
The elevator buildings are planned with retail stores on the ground level and 120 condos above. There are five condo floor plans. All are two-bedroom, two-bath units with at least one balcony. The site is in a commercial strip between Irving Park Road and the commuter rail line. The sales center, a former banquet hall, features a full-size condo model.
Sales manager Angela Testa-Kerivan said 70 percent of the first building is sold and sales soon will open on the second building.
The first buyers have come from a diverse age group, she said. “Single professionals, mature adults, not necessarily retired, but close.”
Several buyers are local residents who are ready to give up the yard work of a larger home, others are commuters who like the proximity to the station. Testa-Kerivan said the project has drawn visitors from as far west as Elgin who want to cut their commute into Chicago. Visitors also have come from Elmwood Park and River Forest to check out more affordable housing.
One couple visited the project with their daughter, who will soon graduate from college, because they wanted to interest her in moving closer to home, although she wants to live in the Chicago.
The model is a corner unit dubbed the Aspen and at 1,284 square feet is the next-to-largest floor plan in the complex. Priced from $295,000, it comes with two balconies and one underground heated parking space with a storage unit.
Visitors to the model step into a small foyer with a coat closet and the laundry/utility room to the left. The foyer opens onto the open living/dining room, 14 feet by 24 feet. The windows in this space are the sliding glass doors leading to a 12-by-5-foot balcony.
An 11 1/2-by-12-foot kitchen is to the left of the living area and is separated from it by a curved half-wall, a nice touch. The work area for the kitchen is essentially along two walls with the refrigerator, range and microwave along one wall, the double sink and dishwasher along the other, with counters between.
A window over the sink allows natural light into the room and should help brighten the living area.
The kitchen is big enough for a cafe table and chairs, but several buyers have opted to eliminate the wall (which is standard) to upgrade to a 5-foot-long center island with counter seating for two or three people, Testa-Kerivan said.
The standard General Electric refrigerator and dishwasher have a stainless CleanSteel front, a surface designed to eliminate the fingerprint problems associated with the popular metal.
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Across from the kitchen is the secondary bath, generous for one person, and a short hall to the two bedrooms. A large closet along one wall of the hallway could be used as a pantry or, without shelving, might be a place for the vacuum cleaner and other gear.
The secondary bedroom, nearly 12 feet by 12 feet, is shown as a home office or small den. The adjacent master bedroom, roughly 12 by 14 1/2 feet, has a 5-foot-by nearly 9-foot walk-in closet and a double-sink vanity in the master bath. Sliding doors in the master bedroom open to a small balcony, 5 by 8 feet.
This is a condo that would be comfortable for one person, or two people if they like cozy living.
Its location will appeal to those who like to be in the center of things. The development is within easy driving distance of several major highways and minutes from O’Hare International Airport.
However, those who are sound sensitive would want to visit buildings of similar construction until this project is further along. With a commercial street on one side and the rail line behind, excellent sound-proofing could be crucial for some people. I would also ask about the flight patterns of planes from nearby O’Hare.
Also be aware that the units and the outside balconies will overlook either Irving Park Road and the residential neighborhood across the street or the rail tracks and another residential neighborhood at the back.
Neither view is evident in the model inside the windowless sales center; so I would urge serious shoppers to drive around the neighborhood to imagine what will be outside their windows.
And while I do not understand the appeal of living so close to train tracks, there is obviously a market for such housing. A sold-out development of new townhouses with back decks overlooking the tracks is not far from Wood Dale Station.
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Wood Dale Station
Base price range: $256,900 to $321,900
FACTS AND FIGURES
Five plans of two-bedroom, two-bath condominiums, heated underground parking.
Floor area: 1,056 to 1,397 square feet
Monthly assessment: $172 to $225
Developer: Wright Development & MAG Development
Web site: www.wooddalestation.com
AMENITIES
Eight-foot, 8-inch ceilings in most living areas, ceramic tile flooring in kitchen, foyer, baths and laundry room. Carpeting, maple cabinets in kitchen and baths, granite kitchen countertops, GE appliances; in-unit laundry room with hook-ups; whirlpool tub in master bath, balcony.
GETTING THERE
Address: 276 E. Irving Park Rd., Wood Dale
Phone: 630-595-0672
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