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Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/607197
photography by © DaviD SeiDe/DefineDSpace.com (newcity) "Here you Have a residence witH a grocery store, movie tHeater, restaurants—all tHe ingredients tHat make a community."— john bucksbaum NewCity offers an on-site movie theater and grocery store, along with a wealth of dining and retail options. below, from left: Gateway West Loop's community amenities include an outdoor pool and indoor lounge. Those ingredients include a prime location near the expansive Clybourn Corridor shopping district (think Apple, Anthropologie, Athleta, and Sephora), a Fitness Formula Clubs gym, and on-site entertain- ment venues like ArcLight Cinemas and K ings Bowl, along with a host of area bars and restaurants. Amenities at the 199-unit property ensure residents can do it all without setting foot outside the premises, from a swimming pool and hot tub to a deck, ftness room with separate yoga studio, conference rooms, and a cyber café/business center. "We've found there's a willingness to have a smaller apartment and a greater desire to have more common space, and residents will spend more time there rather than in apartments," says Bucksbaum of NewCity's approach. "They will eventually need to leave for doctors' appointments or to go to the symphony, but from a food and entertain- ment perspective, they will be well taken care of." The idea of a development fostering a community isn't new. Early adopters were Magellan Development Group co-CEOs Jim Loewenberg and Joel Carlins, whose vision for a village within Chicago's New East Side where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan resulted in Lakeshore East (225 N. Columbus Dr., 312- 493-8200; magellandevelopment.com/lakeshore-east), a master-planned community on the 28 -acre site of a former golf course and bounded by East Randolph Street, Columbus Drive, Wacker Drive, and Lake Shore Drive. Not just a building for people to live in, the $4 billion project has created a vibrant new downtown neighborhood with an expansive, lush six-acre park; the Village Market with retail, res- taurants, and a Mariano's; its own school in GEMS World Academy; and a primo, walk-to-work location. Community is so important at Lakeshore East, says Magellan Development Chief Marketing Offcer Robin Tebbe, that the company has created its own position dedicated to interfacing with residents—the unoffcial "Mayor of Lakeshore East." Notes Tebbe, "This position really is the heart and soul of the com- munity, leading residents in social activities like movies in the park, social hours, and special events." In the white-hot district west of downtown, luxe rental development Gateway West Loop (11 S. Green St., 877-380-1952; gatewaywl.com) is taking advan- tage of the neighborhood's burgeoning popularity to create its own urban community, says Regional Property Manager Tracy Peacock. "The West Loop is an attractive living environment with tree-lined streets, parks, excellent transportation, and growth," Peacock enthuses. "We wanted to really capture that [energy]." The building's urban-friendly amenities include an outdoor rooftop pool, fre pits, a ftness center, grilling stations, and a community foor room with TV, lounge, and bar area. Peacock says that Gateway's strong sense of community comes from attention to service and the quality of the building's staff, who have been selected based on their knowl- edge of the neighborhood. "Residents appreciate the quality [of life] in the building," she says, summing up the appeal of developments like Gateway West Loop. "[We're striving] to cater to their needs and make them always feel at home." MA Bella Vista The community at Lakeshore East is set to welcome a new addition to the family: the stunning, nature-inspired Vista Tower. Poised to be the city skyline's next star struc- ture, Magellan Development Group's Jeanne Gang–designed Vista Tower (vistatower chicago.com) will be, at 1,144 feet and 93 stories, the city's third-tallest skyscraper, not to mention the tallest building in the world designed by a woman-owned architecture frm. With an estimated cost of $1 billion, the multiuse residential/hotel structure will boast a grand total of 405 residences, 169 hotel rooms, 410 parking spaces, and a 5,400-square-foot ballroom. Unlike other luxury condo/hotel developments in the city like the Trump and Waldorf, Vista Residences will have its own full amenity foor exclusive to residents, who will also have access to the amenities and services of the fve-star Wanda Vista Hotel's private ftness center, theater, wine-tasting room, private dining suite with demonstration kitchen, outdoor deck, and pool. And each penthouse full- foor residence—some of which are already under contract—will offer 360-degree views. Says Magellan Chief Marketing Offcer Robin Tebbe, the Vista Tower will "bring new life to Upper Wacker Drive along the river—and [its] height will reinvigorate the skyline." HAUTE PROPERTY News, Stars, and Trends in Real Estate 128 michiganavemag.com