16Twenty - 1620 W Lake St

[gpete]

http://www.southwestjournal.com/notes/n ... lake-james

The development proposed on the SW corner of Lake and James has been scrapped in favor of a new proposal on the NE corner of Lake and James (where the bike rental place is). Ground level retail, a few condos? Tasteful, smallish infill project? Sounds promising...

[PhilmerPhil]

I think the disconnect between the two areas has more to do with the streetscape (3 lane one ways + 2 parking lanes, little pedestrian enhancements, and no bikeability) than the built form.

[twincitizen]

Looks like the property would include the two identical buildings facing Lake, as well as the smallish SF home facing James and some of the adjacent parking space to the rear. I agree this is a nice scale that will fit in well with its neighbors, as there is a 3.5-story apartment building to the north. I'm a little surprised that they're starting at 4 stories, rather than the now-standard protocol of starting at 5 or 6 and bargaining down to "give" the neighbors something. I think 4 or 5 stories would be just fine here, especially when you're talking about owner-occupied condos that will be quite expensive.

It's a shame it doesn't include the next property to the east (Uptown Cleaners) because that would mean the demise of another gross rooftop billboard in the area. Hopefully they find a way to buy out that billboard contract, because it's going to be right in the way of any eastward facing views from the condos: http://goo.gl/maps/BeWVd

[mattaudio]

4 stories will pretty much render this billboard worthless, so hopefully it will come down.

[John]

Sounds promising. They are already starting on much better footing with the project's appropriate scale and having retail on the street. Any renderings?

[gpete]

It doesn't sound like there are any firm designs yet:

The height is not finalized, but the developer is considering four stories: two floors with a mix of office and retail, topped by two floors of four-six condominium units. CPM co-founder Nick Walton said initial design work is underway with Peterssen/Keller Architecture of Uptown.

[John]

It doesn't sound like there are any firm designs yet:

The height is not finalized, but the developer is considering four stories: two floors with a mix of office and retail, topped by two floors of four-six condominium units. CPM co-founder Nick Walton said initial design work is underway with Peterssen/Keller Architecture of Uptown.

They do good work! Should be a winner for Uptown.

[seanrichardryan]

Here is a rendering of the proposed building on the NE corner, called 16TWENTY. 4 residences priced at 999,000+

[min-chi-cbus]

Well that scale shouldn't offend any of the residents in the area. I think it looks nice and fits in nicely -- great job! $1M for a unit, huh? Does it have a view of the lake? If not, good luck!!

[Wedgeguy]

Well that scale shouldn't offend any of the residents in the area. I think it looks nice and fits in nicely -- great job! $1M for a unit, huh? Does it have a view of the lake? If not, good luck!!

It would be similar height as the apartment buildings on the mall. Maybe a slight bit higher, but not by much.

[uptown067]

These units have been recently listed as well:
http://www.edinarealty.com/homes-for-sa ... 1-93983050

[John]

A decently scaled building with an attractive but low-key design that shouldn't evoke much controversy. Fits into Uptown well. Good street level with what I'm sure will be yet another upscale restaurant.

[lordmoke]

Thatcher has a good write-up on this one:
http://www.ouruptown.com/2013/07/small- ... -proposed/

Sounds like the second story will be office space, with the condos above. Neat little project!

[seanrichardryan]

Those million dollar terraces will have a great view into the massage parlor across the street.

Now, where will Calhoun Cycle move to?

[Nathan]

[John]

^^^Nice photo with better details. We could use more projects like this in our city.

[Wedgeguy]

Those million dollar terraces will have a great view into the massage parlor across the street.

Now, where will Calhoun Cycle move to?

They closed their doors last year when those nice lime green rental bikes took a hold of the market. I believe that most of the income was off bike rentals.

[twincitizen]

I wonder why they didn't go for 6 or 8 units. Even at those prices, I suspect those 4 will be gobbled up quickly. The location is unbeatable. There's probably enough rich folk already living in the area that are looking to downsize from an equally expensive house. I'd think they'd have no problem selling another 2 or 4 units. Clearly there is precedent for 5 or 6 stories in the area. Or they should have at least started that tall and then "bargained" with the neighborhood down to 4 stories

[seanrichardryan]

It is in the Shorland Overlay District, so they'd need approvals over 2.5 stories.

[mullen]

good infill, i like it. nicely designed small scale project. wish i had a few million lying around. not exactly affordable housing is it.