CHICAGO— Centrum Partners is already one of the most active transit-oriented developers in town, and the company is getting ready to start construction on the next phase of what it says will be a unique undertaking in the Wicker Park neighborhood. “A number of neighborhood leaders challenged us, and asked that we do something different,” John McLinden of Centrum tells GlobeSt.com. “Most transit-oriented development done so far has been for young professionals, with the vast majority of units studios or one-bedrooms.” But w hat they heard during many meetings with local community groups was that the neighborhood also had a host of “young or mature families that needed more space.” So the developer's new multi-phase 200-unit project near the corner of Division St. and Milwaukee Ave. and the Blue Line stop, called Wicker Park Connection, will have a mixture of studios, one- to three-bedroom units and even townhomes. Furthermore, they were asked to create open space that rest of the community could use. In response, nearly one-third of the site area will be a plaza and green space. The open area will connect Division St. and Milwaukee Ave. and be “a green beltway through the development,” says McLinden. “It's going to help define the neighborhood and be utilized by the entire community.” An underground parking garage will ease congestion and preserve room for the plaza. The walkway will be closed late at night for security purposes. Centrum recently broke ground on a mid-rise, 60-unit building at 1650-54 W. Division St. and is going through the entitlement process for the other portions of the roughly two-acre site. It plans to break ground on a high-rise just to the east in the autumn and soon after that on the townhomes. All of the units should be ready by 2018. “When you do a project of this scale it gets a lot of attention,” McLinden adds, “and we had to get a lot of input from a lot of people to get where we are today.” He estimates they met about eight times with community groups and 1st Ward Alderman Joe “Proco” Moreno . Another goal which emerged during this period was to make sure the project blended into the neighborhood. And to harmonize it with the surroundings, the builders will use a combination of brick and metal that provides an industrial look similar to many nearby structures. In addition, “we are doing affordable housing on-site instead of paying into the city's affordable housing fund,” McLinden says. Twenty of the 200 units will be preserved as affordable housing. “It was what the alderman and the community groups had requested.” Like its other TOD projects, the Wicker Park development will give its residents access to a lot of amenities. Residents will have access to a fitness room, rooftop deck, party room/lounge area, secure bike storage and other benefits. The project will also include ground-level retail, and the second story of the high-rise may even provide space for a school. Centrum is currently at work on about six projects, McLinden says. “But this is the project that I am most excited about.” NOT FOR REPRINT
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