Chicago Tribune Morton Grove Champion
Jan 29, 2024
A Chicago developer has begun site preparation for 89 townhomes near the Metra commuter station in Morton Grove, and plans to begin sales in April.
Lexington Homes is calling the development Metro on Main, located at 8350 Lehigh Ave., between the Metra station and Oakton Street. The developer is calling it a redesign of townhomes it previously built in Chicago’s north suburbs, including two projects built nearby in Morton Grove in the last 10 years. The townhomes will have black and gray exteriors.
“We’ve been building the same one for a long time. They’ve been tweaked a bit as things have changed,” said Jeff Benach, principal of Lexington Homes. “We thought it’s time to come up with a new elevation, which is more in keeping with this location.”
The new design removes turnback stairs and creates more space, Benach said.
“The rooms got so much more gracious,” he said. “We’ve now got walk-in closets, oversized bathrooms, things we did not have in other designs.”
Lexington has begun preparation for the demolition of a former warehouse on the site and expects to present three furnished model homes for viewing in fall 2024, said Kathryn Kjarsgaard, spokeswoman for the developer.
“We’re just getting ready to take down a building on the site,” Benach said. “We will start underground right away after that. We’ll pour the first foundation as soon as the weather gives a little bit.”
Metro on Main will be constructed within walking distance of the Morton Grove Public Library and less than a five-minute drive to Amazon Fresh, Kohl’s, Costco, Target, Menards, several restaurants and a newly opened LA Fitness, Kjarsgaard said.
“Morton Grove does not have a real downtown per se, but we’re close to where all the retail is,” Benach said. “We’re five minutes to the Edens and seven minutes to the Tri-State. We’re less than 10 minutes from Skokie Swift, and Metra is right there. That is quite convenient from that standpoint.”
Lexington Homes also built the nearby Lexington Walk, 8616 Ferris Ave., about five years ago and Lexington Station, near Concord Drive and Lincoln Avenue, in 2014.
The base price for Metro on Main townhomes is about $445,000 each, Kjarsgaard said. The three-level homes will range from 1,780 to 2,278 square feet and feature two to four bedrooms, 2.5 to 3.5 bathrooms, balconies and attached garages, she said.
Buyers can choose from three floor plans, all of which offer flexible space in the lower levels that can serve as a home office, fitness room, play area or home theater, Kjarsgaard said. One model also includes a den on the main level.
The new design also increased storage space throughout the units, including providing walk-in pantries, extra cabinets, additional counter space and enlarged kitchen islands, Kjarsgaard said. Bedrooms contain more walk-in closets and larger bathrooms, she said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/morton-grove/ct-mgc-townhomes-train-station-tl-0201-20240129-ogompqe4zba2dppk3jxdxenl5q-story.html
By Phil Rockrohr
