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RDM's
Trio embraces street, |
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The development sits
in the heart of a formerly industrial part of the West Loop, christened
the Fulton River District nearly a decade ago, as the area began to change.
Once dominated by railroad land and industry, the quiet streets between
the Chicago River and Halsted Street increasingly have been dominated
by new residential development, including many loft conversions. Trio will introduce
an ultra-contemporary 209-unit condo complex to the area. The development,
as its name implies, has three parts: two seven-story mid-rises and a
22-story tower, all separated by landscaped courtyards with water features
and reflecting pools. A four-story structure to the north will have three
levels of parking and one level containing 10,000 square feet of retail
space. The roof of this structure will be landscaped and will support
a fitness facility and community center.
Trio is built almost
completely of glass and steel with floor-to-ceiling windows that should
provide copious light and clear skyline views. The complex will pay homage
to Chicago-style architecture, but its various components are arranged
creatively to benefit both residents and the surrounding neighborhood,
according to Plunkard. “For example,
you can walk or drive around the entire project and you won’t find
the parking garage,” says Plunkard somewhat gleefully. “The
varying grade level of the site enabled us to hide the parking completely,
yet make it easily accessible to the residents.” RDM’s Robert
Mosky conceived Trio with the well being of its residents first and foremost
in his mind. “We have created
an environment where the residents can find nirvana in their homes if
that’s what they want,” says Mosky, noting that there is complete
separation between the residences and other aspects of the project. “Yet all of the
benefits of urban living are just steps away,” he says, referring
in part to the project’s proximity to the Loop, Randolph Street’s
restaurant row and a new Jewel grocery store to be built just north of
the site. Unlike many new residential
projects, where the residences rise above several levels of parking, homes
at Trio begin at the street level, with landscaped courtyards between
the building and a planned three-acre city park, immediately west of the
tower. The park will sit on land donated by RDM.
In addition to the
community and fitness centers, building amenities include heated indoor
parking and secure, highly detailed lobbies with high-speed elevators. “The lobbies
deserve special mention,” says Plunkard. “They contain natural
stone finishes and a variety of warm colors, so that while contemporary,
they will convey a sense of intimacy and privacy.” Most of the condos
at Trio have one or two bedrooms and one to two baths, and some have dens.
A few of the larger units on the upper floors of the tower will be duplexes. Chosen in part to
accommodate the sleek progressive design emerging in today’s market,
some of the unusual unit amenities include bamboo floors in living areas,
cutting edge European cabinetry, glass mosaic backsplashes, state-of-the-art
kitchens and baths and large terraces. “The uniformity
of the exteriors allowed us to alternate the terraces instead of stacking
them,” says Plunkard. “And this provides each residence with
at least a two-story upward view from the balcony.” Prices for one-bedrooms
started in the $180s; two-bedrooms began in the low $200s; and two-bedrooms
with dens started in the low $300s at press time. Indoor parking is $35,000
per spot. Matt Garrison, of
Coldwell Banker Residential, exclusive marketing agent for Trio, says
that a sales center will open across from the site, on Desplaines Street,
on Sept. 15. At press time a good portion of the Phase I units at Trio,
www.RDMHomes.com, had been sold,
according to Garrison. “Contemporary
is where the market is,” says Garrison, “and Trio has just what
the market is looking for. |
It
is unusual to find a project that changes the tenor of a neighborhood,
but RDM Development claims that its latest project, Trio, at 650 W. Wayman
St., is about to do just that.
“I
think of Trio as a small Millennium Park,” says Jim Plunkard, whose
architectural firm, Hartshorne & Plunkard, designed the project. “I
mean that in the sense that it repairs the site and the neighborhood both
structurally and functionally, and I would hope that others will continue
this trend.”
Construction
of Phase I will begin this fall, with delivery scheduled for January 2007.
Phase I consists of the two midrises (53 and 56 units), and it also includes
the parking and retail structure. Construction of the 100-unit tower in
Phase II will begin in spring 2006, with delivery scheduled for winter
2007.