EDGEWATER — New details have been released for the $1.05 million 3,600-square-foot homes being built at the former site of the long shuttered Edgewater Hospital's parking garage.
Developers with C.A. Development group said foundations have already been poured for the first three of 15 homes on a 1.25 acre plot of land in the new Edgewater Square II location, just east of Rosehill Cemetery.
The two-story homes, at the southeast corner of North Hermitage and West Edgewater avenues, will by 30-by-108 feet and will include a three-car detached garage.
FitzGerald Associates Architects designed two floor plans, one with a more "urban" feel and other with a more traditional layout. Each design will come with front porches, gables or bays with stone accents, large windows and masonry siding facades, according to C.A. Development representative J. Paul Bertsche.
Homes in the new development will include inland kitchen layouts for up to six people, double laundry centers, sunrooms, additional storage under stairways and dual-zoned heating and cooling, Bertsche said.
Features of the two floor plans include:
- The Gable: This option has four or five bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms. There is a foyer which opens into a 16.5-by-12.5-foot living room and adjacent 18-by-12-foot dining room. A half-bathroom is to the left of the 12.5-by-14.5-foot kitchen, which comes with a stainless-steel vented range hood, French-door refrigerator and freezer combo and dual wall and convection ovens. Its island and breakfast bar is topped with granite countertops and an inset double sink and dishwasher. The kitchen overlooks a sunken 275-square-foot family room with a wood-burning fireplace. Even further sunken down from the family room is a sunroom, which provides access to the backyard. The master bedroom suite is slightly smaller than the family room and features several closets as well as sliding glass doors that open out to a 104.5-square-foot roof deck.
- The Bay: The bay includes the same amount of bathrooms and much of the same layout, design and features, but has five or six bedrooms. Its master suite has a cathedral ceiling, and its master bath contains two sinks and separate bathing and showing chambers.
Bertsche and Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th) broke ground on the Edgewater Square II project on May 19 for the properties that will be sold by Colin Hebson of Dream Town Realty and the O'Connor Hebson Group.
The deal sparked controversy in January when political opponents of Ald. Pat O'Connor (40th) criticized his wife Barbara's close ties to the developer. In 2003 and 2004, CA Development also built 27 single-family homes in the nearby Edgewater Square development on Rosehill Drive. All the homes were sold within 15 months by Barbara O'Connor.
The O'Connors have asserted they will not profit from the sales of the two-story luxury homes.
Bertsche described Edgewater as "cosmopolitan, yet down to Earth" and said selling points to potential homebuyers include the area's convenience and charm, as well as its "rapidly appreciating property values".
"Bordered by Lake Michigan, Foster, Ravenswood and Devon Avenues, Edgewater's growing population of affluent residents represents an eclectic and trendy sector of the city," he said.
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