CHICAGO—High Street Residential, a subsidiary of Trammel Crow Co., has just acquired a 0.87-acre site for the construction of Maple&Main, a six-story, class A mixed-use transit-oriented building located at the epicenter of downtown Downers Grove, IL. The project will include 115 apartment units, a host of amenities and about 4,000 square feet of ground ﬂoor retail/restaurant space. The company expects to begin construction in the first quarter of next year and ready it for occupancy by mid-2018.

Although many people associate TODs with the city, High Street has found a lot of success in nearby suburbs with historic downtowns, which also tend to have great transit options. In Downers Grove, High Street's new site is within walking distance to the Main Street train station and the historic Tivoli Theater, among other retail options and restaurant activity, along with many bus routes and bike lanes.

“Our residents like the compactness of the lifestyle,” Grady Hamilton, managing director with TCC's Midwest Business Unit, tells GlobeSt.com. Those that work in Chicago's CBD can quickly reach it each day, and also have shopping and entertainment options just at hand. Empty nesters on the other hand, many of whom have retired, can find an “amenity-rich, maintenance-free lifestyle.”

High Street has already finished a 138-unit, luxury development in downtown Glenview and a three-story community in Park Ridge. As reported in GlobeSt.com, earlier this year the company sold the latter project for $48.25 million.

The Downers Grove project will offer a variety of units, from studios to three-bedroom units. Resident amenities will include: a pet spa and bike lounge in the basement level, a hotel-like lobby/leasing center and Wi-Fi coffee lounge on the first level, a ﬁtness center, yoga studio, and many other features.

Maple&Main will have many eco-friendly aspects that maximize fresh air indoors, minimize exposure to airborne toxins and pollutants and use less energy. High-efficiency plumbing fixtures, for example, will decrease consumption of water and reduce the impact on municipal sewer system.

Hamilton adds that the company is actively seeking out other, similar opportunities, including ones in cities like Chicago and Minneapolis. Locating such a site, however, can be a challenge. Some municipalities don't have plans that seek to bring these kinds of TODs to their downtowns, and instead have very complicated and lengthy entitlement processes. Others have very little available land.

ESG Architects will serve as the architect for the Downers Grove project and Carlson Construction will serve as the general contractor. David Paino, vice president, will oversee the development of the project on behalf of High Street Residential. Jacob Dell, at CBRE Oak Brook, will be handling the retail leasing.

Instant Insights /

High Street Unveils Plans for New Suburban TOD

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