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Community Corner

Oak Park Luxury Condos Make Local Eco-History, Aim to Attract Arlington Heights Residents

Creating a groundbreaking residential development in one of the nation's most architecturally significant communities is no easy task.

With the emergence of The Residences at Maple Place, an upscale five-story condominium building in Oak Park, that scenario is taking shape.

The forthcoming development at 1133 Chicago Ave. will be the most energy-efficient condominium development in Oak Park, and among the most energy-efficient condo properties in the region.

Project developers believe Arlington Heights residents considering their next move, particularly those who are downsizing, will view the residences as an intriguing fit.

Marked by a variety of ecologically friendly features and totaling 10 residences, including two premium penthouses, the building will be on the southwest corner of Chicago and Maple avenues. With a very high walkability rating, the development will provide easy access to shops, entertainment, restaurants and public transportation, among other everyday conveniences.

Fittingly, it is all happening just steps from the community's architectural epicenter, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. With the Oak Park Village Board's unanimous approval on June 16th, groundbreaking is slated for late summer with the first units scheduled for completion in fall 2015.

Altierra Development Group, with Oak Parkers Jonathan Shack and Paul Zimmermann as principals, is at the helm. The Residences at Maple Place is filling a longstanding void in Oak Park's housing stock: luxurious open floor condominiums that feature custom craftsmanship and high-end finishes.

"This will fill a significant need in the community," said Shack. "The Residences at Maple Place offers a key segment of the local population an option for a home with the amenities that they are looking for and have been unable to find, while addressing the needs of those desiring single floor living."

Key selling points are the building's advanced thermal envelope and best construction practices which, coupled with energy-efficient appliances and high efficiency windows, significantly reduce the homes' carbon footprint and operation costs.

Until now, people who had raised families in some of the community's larger single-family homes and were looking to downsize to a condominium have found very limited options in Oak Park, said Rich Gloor, president of Gloor Realty Co., the development's real estate listing agent.

"From top to bottom, this development surpasses any other condo building in Oak Park," Gloor said. "Each unit is more thoughtfully laid out for today's lifestyle requirements, with a mix of traditional and modern amenities as well as two heated parking spaces."

Units range from 2,000 to 3,000 square feet with the long-term advantage of retaining marketplace value.

For the past four years, the site has been a fenced-off, blighted slab of asphalt. Tufts of grass peek through cracks in the lot, which served Villager Foods until its closure.

The location is just a few blocks north of Downtown Oak Park and is nestled in the charming Chicago/Harlem Business District. It is also a short walk to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio that anchors the historic district named in honor of Wright and the Prairie School of Architecture.

The features and standards at The Residences of Maple Place will include:

*A spacious open floor plan, with 9-foot ceiling heights
*Luxury kitchens with designer fixtures and appliances
*Grand master bedroom suites with spacious walk-in closets
*Large multiple bathrooms with designer finishes and oversize showers
*Available studies and formal dining rooms
*High-efficiency individual furnaces and water heaters
*Large terraces with available Chicago skyline views
*Optional fireplaces
*Guest room suites in larger units
*Limited, premium private two-car garages with added storage

The elevator building will be handicapped accessible and include an "eco-wall" that softens the east façade on Maple.

Another of the eco-features will be a green roof enjoyed by penthouse residents on their terraces, securing The Residences at Maple Place historic stature as the first Oak Park condo development to have a green roof.

The second- and third-floor 3-bedroom units with separate studies/media rooms are listed at $639,000; the fourth-floor 4-bedroom units with spacious great rooms, multiple large terraces, formal dining rooms and separate studies, are listed at $895,000. The fifth-floor 3-bedroom penthouse units, including extended terraces and city skyline views, are listed at $775,000.

The project architect is John Schiess of JCS Architects, Inc., with Gloor Realty Co. and JCS Construction also partnering on the development. Community Bank of Oak Park & River Forest is providing financing.

For more information, call Rich Gloor or Jan Raspatello at 708-524-1100 or visit www.gloor.com">http://www.gloor.com">www.gloor.com.




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