Posts Tagged ‘condominiums’

Downtown Chicago Rental Apartments Thriving

Monday, August 31st, 2009

Downtown Chicago apartment buildings – especially Class A properties – are seeing a resurgence in occupancy and rental rates as residents apprehensive about the condominium market choose to rent rather than buy.  The average effective rent of downtown apartment buildings climbed to $2.17 PSF in the second quarter, a 2.4 percent increase over the first quarter, according to a report by Appraisal Research Counselors, a real estate consulting firm.  During the same time frame, average Class A occupancy rose to 93.4 percent, as compared with 90.9 percent in the first quarter and 91.6 percent a year ago.chicagoskyline1

The statistics would be even better if there weren’t so many new downtown apartment buildings.  More than 2,098 new units have been built downtown since 2008.  Add to that the shadow rental market – condominium owners who rent their units when they cannot sell.  Many potential buyers are renting for the time being because they are concerned about falling property values and the possibility that they will be unable to obtain a mortgage in a tight credit market.

These numbers show the inherent strength of Chicago’s CBD rental apartment market — proof that downtowns continue to thrive because of the number of highly educated knowledge workers who want to live in the city.  As a result, places like River North and the Loop remain highly sought after locations for businesses looking to recruit talent.

Deal or No Deal?

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Chicago’s iconic post office that straddles the Eisenhower Expressway has been vacant since a new facility replaced it in 1995, and the U.S. Postal Service has decided it’s time to sell the deteriorating structure at 433 West Van Buren Street.47424223

On August 27, the Postal Service will auction the 77-year-old, 3,000,000 SF, 14-story building.  The suggested opening bid is $300,000, but because there is no minimum, the building’s ultimate sale price could be significantly higher or lower.  Even auctioneer Rick Levin has no idea of how much the building might be worth. “I don’t know that there’s a more unique, hard-to-value piece of real estate in Chicagoland than this,” Levin said.

Since the Postal Service moved to a new Harrison Street building 14 years ago, it’s been suggested that the old space be used as a casino, a water park or an auto mall.  In 2007, the city gave initial approval to a failed plan with an estimated price tag of $300 million, including $62 million in local and federal incentives, to develop the complex into condominiums, offices and a hotel.

If a buyer is found, it will have to secure financing – a significant challenge in today’s tight lending environment — as well as deal with the property taxes.  Once the world’s largest postal facility, the building has always been property tax exempt.  Its eventual assessed value will be based on its future uses and the revenues derived from those uses.

Cornerstone Gets the Green Light

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Cornerstone’s launch fulfills William A. Alter’s 30-year vision that began when the legendary real estate titan acquired the first of what now comprises 650 acres in central Lake County.

As a mixed-use development pioneer, Bill Alter understood that differing residential products could- and would — flourish, complete with nearby stores.  Cornerstone is taking Bill’s vision a step farther by creating an environment where industrial, research-and-development and office and retail jobs will coexist within walking distance of housing, entertainment opportunities and shopping.  rtkl_cornerstone_eyelevl2sign1

Costing  an estimated $750 million,  Cornerstone is a significant project which will take early 12 years to complete.  It is expected to create hundreds of construction jobs.  At completion, we expect that Cornerstone will add more than 9,000 jobs within the project, as well as almost 7,000 supporting jobs throughout Lake County.  Currently, our development plans call for 3 million SF to 3.5 million SF of light industrial/office space, 500,000 SF to 600,000 SF of shops and restaurants and 800 homes, mostly townhouses, apartments and condominiums.  Located west of Illinois Highway 83, Cornerstone is expected to be annexed into the village of Grayslake.

The Grayslake community is embracing the concept of Cornerstone.  At public hearings and planning commission meetings with Village officials, we’ve received consistently positive feedback, with comments such as “Well-balanced land use plan.”, “This is what Grayslake needs – NOW.” and “We need more amenities locally.”

We still face some challenges as we move forward, but I have every confidence that Cornerstone will become the most sought-after destination in central Lake County.