UKRAINIAN VILLAGE — Four out of five homes in a new environmentally friendly condo development anchored by Dollop Bake Shop have found buyers — and the bake shop itself plans to open soon.
Dollop is on the ground floor of the building on the northwest corner of Damen Avenue and Augusta Boulevard. It's 25-seat bakeshop and espresso bar at 1000 N. Damen Ave., is aiming to open by mid February, many months past its first goal of June, owner Dan Weiss said on Thursday.
"Most of the delays came from a combination of some changes that had to be made in original plans with HVAC installations, and waiting for inspections. Most of that is finished. Now it's just about the final touches," Weiss said.
West Town based developer Panoptic Group built the three- and two-bedroom condos last year, and bills the property as one of the first LEED Gold certified multi-unit residences in the area, offering "integrated energy saving technology" that can result in cheaper utility bills.
Unit 3, a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condo, was taken off the market and plans to be reintroduced in spring, according to Realtor Greg Vollan, who said the last price for the unit was $599,999.
Elsewhere in the building, another 2-bed 2-bath condo sold for $575,000 on July 31, records show.
Vollan's client, a family with one young daughter and another child on the way, paid $645,000 last April for a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom duplex and were the first to move into the building.
Vollan said his client liked the fact they could select their own finishes. A large deck that "fed right off of the living room" was attractive because many other similar decks have stairs leading to a roof.
Prices for the homes were higher than surrounding properties because of the energy efficient perks such as cell spray foam insulation, which has a higher insulation factor than regular pink insulation, and a furnace system that pulls fresh air in and expels stale air from inside the home, Vollan said.
Currently, Vollan said there are 23 active 2-bedroom condos on the market in Ukrainian Village, of which 8 are new construction. The median list price for all of the 23 active 2-bedroom units in Ukrainian Village is $499,000.
Anastasia Chatzka, a clothing designer who operates a shop at 1001 N. Damen Ave. across from the new condos, said that she's been enjoying watching the corner perk up and see residents move into their new homes.
"I can't wait for the coffee shop to open. It will be good for everyone in this area. The less vacancies, the better" Chatzka said.
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