Downtowns draw people who enjoy being a part of the action

As you get off the train, you're surrounded with a bounty of amenities. You head to an Italian restaurant and meet a friend for dinner. Afterward, you stop at the bank and a boutique. You then top the evening off with a Starbucks coffee and head home to your cozy condo.

This downtown lifestyle in the suburbs is gaining popularity with people of all ages who like the concept of living in a new condominium or townhouse, walking to the train and having the library, bank, post office, restaurants, salons and coffee shops all within walking distance of their residences.

"The trend is to bring residents back to the suburban downtowns that people left years ago," said Dick Untch, director of community development in Geneva. "Towns realize the benefit of building new housing in older downtowns. It creates a lively, vibrant downtown area."

So how are cities and villages enticing people to move to suburban downtowns?

Transportation has always been a magnet for housing and commercial development, and transit-oriented development, or TOD, has gained popularity in giving downtowns a facelift.

Case in point is Des Plaines. With the Metra station in the heart of town, the city sees the benefit of TOD, which is higher density development around mass transit, said Michael Conlan, director of community and economic development. "It includes housing, retail and mixed use right within the downtown core."

"It's all about critical mass," said Jennifer Ganser, economic development coordinator for Des Plaines. "The more downtown residences we have, the more people will support downtown retail and social venues. It all ties together."

While the nuclear family spurred the growth of subdivisions, demographics today consist of more empty-nesters and singles who like to live close to downtown, said Ray Franczak, who is developing condominiums near Metra stations in Des Plaines and Palatine.

R. Franczak & Associates has a long history of building in Des Plaines. In recent years, the company has brought an urban flair to suburban living with its sleek interiors and open floor plans at The Waterford.

The Waterford is an 118-unit three building enclave that sits just two blocks from the Metra train station. Remaining units feature interiors that resemble an urban loft residence near downtown Chicago with luxury finishes and lofty light-filled plans with open living areas.

Downtown Des Plaines amenities include a town theater, state-of-the-art library, gourmet European grocery, health club, luxury spa and salons, several good restaurants and more.

In downtown Palatine, where the train station is also in the heart of town, Franczak offers The Heritage of Palatine, a 48-unit luxury condo development with several decorated models. Some homes in the four-story luxury building are available for immediate occupancy, and customizing is still possible in many homes.

Also, pre-construction sales are underway at The Heritage of Palatine Brownstones, a private collection of seven distinctive row houses on Greeley Street at Washington in downtown Palatine.

"The architecture of these homes is reminiscent of the turn-of-the-century period between the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 and the Great Depression beginning in the late 1920s," said architect Mark Hopkins, principal of HKM Architects, designer of the Franczak project.

Downtown Palatine offers several upscale restaurants representing a variety of ethnicities, boutiques, hair and nail salons, resale shop, dry cleaners, coffee shops and more all within walking distance of the train.

In Wheaton, downtown development is an ongoing process, said Jim Kozik, director of planning and economic development. Two residential projects in the works are Courthouse Square by Airhart Construction and Wescott Crossing by Norwood Builders.

At Courthouse Square, luxury Georgian row houses sit in a parklike setting with lush landscaped courtyards within the heart of downtown Wheaton. Homes priced from the upper $500,000s offer 2,800 to 3,800 square feet, two to four bedrooms and 31/2 baths. Luxurious standards include elevators, luxury bathrooms, custom cabinets, granite counters and private roof terraces.

We can customize the homes to fit specific lifestyles, said Court Airhart, president of Airhart Construction. "We can do whatever the customer wants. We move walls, create sitting rooms. On the upper level we can do a total loft, master bedroom, an in-law suite arrangement. It's really a great space.

"And we think this is a great location for all ages. We're three blocks from the train station and a block from Starbucks and the library - right here in the middle of it all. People want a downtown with a lot of activity, which is just a lot of fun."

A notable aspect of Courthouse Square is the reuse of the property of the old courthouse that now features the row houses by Airhart and 192 vertical condos by Focus Development. The courthouse itself now houses six condo units. And the state's attorney's building is comprised of private office space and the community association.

Many development projects beautify suburban downtowns with their lush landscaping and attractive structures.

In Palatine, an elegant fountain in the European-style landscaped plaza with benches and accent lighting creates an inviting place for neighbors to meet, Franczak said. The 4,000-square-foot plaza and fountain were designed by HKM Architects.

Although commercial development, Shodeen has taken on several restoration projects of dilapidated areas and turned the eyesores into thriving properties that include the historic Herrington Inn of Geneva with adjacent office and retail center.

Although Libertyville and Geneva have no active residential projects now, they both know the value of attracting residents and visitors to their downtown areas.

In Geneva, the city is always on the lookout for new sites for condo and apartment development, Untch said. "This type of housing in an older downtown area really helps support businesses in the downtown area because those folks shop in local stores and eat in the restaurants."

Its quaint downtown features historic buildings, pristine tree-lined streets, specialty shops tucked away in architectural gems, wonderful restaurants and of course the train station. These amenities, along with a year-round calendar of events, draw thousands of people to downtown Geneva each year.

Libertyville's older established downtown doesn't see large residential projects, but has some infill development such as School Street Brownstones, a four-unit building of upscale condos.

"We have a lot going on now," said Heather Rowe, economic development coordinator. "Several new businesses have come in to our downtown area. And there's a new shopping retail center on the south end that will bring several national retailers and restaurants to our downtown area.

"Our Main Street effort does a lot of programs such as Out to Lunch every Friday at the park, farmers market, and First Friday when stores stay open late and there's art displays, wine, and music to give people a reason to walk around in the evening."

While not glamorous projects, new parking garages receive rave reviews from local businesses and those who frequent downtowns in Libertyville and Wheaton.

In Libertyville, businesses are ecstatic about the new facility that brings more than 300 parking spaces downtown, Rowe said. "With all the new businesses that have arrived, the parking garage is timely. And we want to welcome everyone back who has run away from the construction."

Wheaton just completed a new parking garage in connection with a five-story, 100,000-square-foot office building that houses the corporate headquarters of First Trust Portfolios.

With a new middle school in Warrenville that just opened this year, Hubble Middle School is empty, and the city is in the planning process for redevelopment of the school at Roosevelt Road and Main Street, Kozik said.

"We have a steering committee to decide what to do with the property, come up with a plan and solicit proposals from developers to build what we want there. Those are our two big projects."