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player ready...As a frequent CTA rider, I have been on almost every line in the system. But I had not taken the Blue Line to the end of the line in west suburban Forest Park until recently.
An advertisement for The Residences at The Grove prompted an excursion to Forest Park.
The ad, aimed at young urban buyers, encourages them to “push the boundaries.” By forgoing such hot spots as the West or South Loop for a 19-minute trip west, the ad suggests buying a new condo or townhouse for a “fraction” of the price.
When a friend mentioned she had heard Forest Park is the affordable alternative to Oak Park and River Forest for young adults, I decided to check it out.
Many people know the Blue Line for the leg running between O’Hare International Airport and the Loop down the center of the Kennedy Expressway. The other leg goes west from the Loop along the Eisenhower Expressway past the University of Illinois at Chicago campus, the hospital district and through Chicago’s West Side. It is an easy commute, though the claim of a trip less than 20 minutes on the CTA seems a stretch.
At the end of the line, however, riders are only steps away from the development, which is across the street from the modern station where the CTA intersects with connecting bus lines.
Once a site for commercial buildings, the property has several three-level townhouse buildings and a five-story condominium. Well along in sales and construction, the development is planned for 60 two- and three-bedroom townhouses and 140 one- to three-bedroom condominiums. Most of the townhouses are sold and built, or under construction. Construction is starting on the second condo, 25 percent sold, with completion targeted for late fall or winter 2007.
Living in the shadow of its bigger, better-known neighbors–Oak Park and River Forest–Forest Park has about 15,700 residents and will celebrate its centennial in 2007. The village is home to the Circle Theater and has a lively dining and entertainment scene along Madison Avenue, the heart of its downtown.
This is the second Forest Park project for Northfield-based Focus Development Inc. and The Taxman Corp. of Skokie. The team’s Madison Commons is a mixed-use development on Madison Street in the village.
Focus has done similar downtown projects in Oak Park and Winnetka and is the builder of two projects in Evanston, including the Church Street Station complex. It specializes in suburban infill and downtown revitalization projects, and the experience shows in the two townhouses and one condo model at The Grove.
The early residents of the project have been a mix of young people and downsizing empty-nesters, who say they are retreating from higher taxes in neighboring Oak Park and River Forest, said sales agent Stacy Hennings.
Sales of townhouses have been brisk, as were the smaller one-bedroom condominiums. All those base-priced under $200,000 are sold, she said.
The recently opened furnished condo model is a 1,397-square-foot, two-bedroom plan with a den. A corner unit, it overlooks a grassy, landscaped area planned between the two L-shaped condominiums and the back yards of two townhouse buildings
The entrances to the two condo buildings will be toward the west, about a block away from the CTA terminal. The model is well away from the commuter station side of the complex, though in all honesty I did not hear noise from the trains and attendant bus and car traffic even when I was touring the two townhouses closest to them. Kudos to the builder for that.
I liked the condo plan a lot. The front door opens to a foyer with a door to the laundry to the right and a wide double-door coat closet on the left.
The laundry room was large enough for a standard side-by-side washer and dryer with some room for storage of a broom and dust pan. It also had a big five-shelf closet. Next to the laundry room is the hall bathroom.
Beyond the bath is the door to the second bedroom, 11 by 14 feet, and a short hall to the left. The door to a den, about 9 by 13, is accessed from the hall that leads to the great room, about 15 by 18 feet.
Calling this a great room overstates the space, but as shown as a TV viewing and living area with a formal dining table, it is quite comfortable.
To the left of the great room is the master suite with a 12-by-18-foot bedroom, a large bath with two sinks in the vanity counter and a five-shelf linen closet. A walk-in closet also is off the master bedroom.
The kitchen is behind the great room in the corner of the unit. Measuring a bit more than 15 by 8 1/2 feet, it is a narrow room with counters, cabinetry and appliances in an L-shape configuration along the two inside walls with windows on the outer wall of the building and the sliding door to the balcony on the fourth side of the room.
The floor plan calls this an eat-in kitchen, but only if there are two people at a small table. The windows help to open the space visually and I like the natural light, the space for upper cabinets on the two walls and the separation between the living room and the food-preparation area.
I also liked the den which, though somewhat narrow, provides a getaway space for a home office or a TV room for retiree couples who find they do not want to be in the same room 24/7.
With a base price of $377,990, the model is about $270 a square foot before upgrades. Less expensive than new construction in the Loop, the final tab with some additions is not cheap. The price does include a heated indoor parking space and a storage space on the ground level of the building.
A fitness center, which on the floor plan looks like an exercise room, and a hospitality room for entertaining is planned for the first floor of the second condo building. Those rooms will be available to residents of the complex, as well as a small pond and patio area with tables and chairs in the center of the complex.
Those requiring a dramatic entrance lobby for their building should look elsewhere, however. The lobby is quite serviceable, but is utilitarian rather than soaring.
More concerning is how crowded the property will feel with the addition of the second condominium building. As it is now, the first condo building, especially the model that I toured, benefits from unfettered natural light on two sides. As the second building rises, however, I have to wonder how much light will be obstructed in the master bedroom and corner kitchen.
The builder is to be applauded for careful attention to landscaping, both in the common areas and in small private yards behind the townhouses. Each townhouse comes with a patio big enough for a table and chairs and a grill.
The tiny sodded yards were planted with a generous number of large trees and bushes to provide privacy between the units, yet there is room enough for residents to plant a couple of rose bushes or tomato plants if the space gets enough sun.
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The Residences at The Grove, Forest Park
Base price range: $236,990 to $457,990 for condos
FACTS AND FIGURES
One-, two- and three-bedroom condominiums, one to three baths and one heated indoor parking space.
Square feet: 846 to 1,760 for condos.
Monthly assessment: from $213.29 for condos.
Developer: Forest Park Grove LLC, a joint venture of Focus Development and The Taxman Corp.
Web site: www.focusdevelopment.com
AMENITIES
8 1/2-foot first-floor ceilings.
Double-glazed insulated sliding doors to balcony or patio.
Maple kitchen cabinets, 3/4-inch granite countertops.
Whirlpool appliances with Energy Star refrigerator and dishwasher, hook-up for washer and dryer.
GETTING THERE
Address: 627 Grove Lane
Phone: 708-366-7665
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