CHICAGO—The thousands of young Chicagoans that have flocked to the city's urban core will soon have another upscale rental option. Fifield Cos. recently topped-off its NEXT Apartments, a 28-story, 310-unit luxury tower in Chicago's booming River North neighborhood, and the project is now way ahead of the schedule set at its June 2015 groundbreaking. Last week, Steve Fifield , chairman of Fifield Cos., and his wife, Randy Fifield , chairman of Fifield Realty Corp. , were joined by more than 50 invited guests, including Ald. Walter Burnett , business partners, friends and family members, to celebrate the milestone and the record pace at which they constructed NEXT. “Topping off days are my favorite because you can finally see all of the pieces coming together,” says Randy Fifield. “When we contracted to buy this site in 2013, it seemed like downtown Chicago's best-kept secret. Today, there are so many of signs of life here, with NEXT serving as a catalyst for other commercial and residential projects – some of which have already broken ground – that will only add to the vitality of this area and make it a truly exciting place to live.” Fifield originally planned to complete NEXT by early 2017. But due to favorable conditions, crews were able to make faster-than-scheduled progress, and the company has now scheduled the first move-ins for September 1. The brisk pace of construction helped offset what the Fifields called a protracted approval process for the development at 347 W. Chestnut St., one of the first high-rise apartment buildings constructed on land that was once zoned as a manufacturing district. NEXT will offer studio, one- and two-bedroom residences, as well as luxury two- and three-bedroom penthouses. Units will range in size from 426 to 1,727 square feet, with rents from $1,595 to $6,300. Among those attending the topping-off ceremony were members of the development team, including Patti McHugh of general contractor McHugh Construction , George Papageorge and Brian Kidd of principal architect Pappageorge Haymes and Shea Soucie of interior designer Soucie Horner Ltd. , as well as representatives from Citizens Bank , The Private Bank and Ullico , the project's lenders. NEXT is blocks from several major employment centers, including the Groupon headquarters and the Merchandise Mart , home to the 1871 incubator and tech companies like Yelp and Braintree.

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Fifield Tops Off River North Tower

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