11/27/02 - Welbourn Row in West Lake View Puts Buyers at Hub of North Side.

Wednesday, November 27, 2002
Welbourn Row in West Lake View Puts Buyers at Hub of North Side
Dubin development offers proximity to Hamlin Park and other nearby attractions

The phrase "near greatness" can mean many things, but for buyers at Welbourn Row in West Lake View, it means being near great neighborhoods, near great shopping, and near a great local park.

Occupying an entire city block at Wellington and Clybourn avenues, Welbourn Row will eventually comprise about 140 condominiums. The development benefits from close proximity to four major city thoroughfares - Belmont, Clybourn, Damen and Diversey. This allows residents quick access to many area attractions, as well as popular surrounding neighborhoods such as Lincoln Park, Bucktown and Roscoe Village.

"People are initially attracted to Welbourn Row because it's the most affordable new construction in Lake View," said Leonard Koenig, sales and marketing director for Chicago-based Dubin Residential, the developer. "But visitors are also pleased to find that Hamlin Park serves as Welbourn Row's backyard and that the area consists of many luxury single-family homes. They also like being just up Clybourn Avenue from popular new shopping outlets such as Costco and Old Navy."

Phase I of the development consists of two, four-story brick buildings with 15 homes each. Five floor plans measure 875 to 1,206 square feet and offer one bedroom with a den or two bedrooms, and one to two baths. Homes also feature balconies, 9-foot ceilings and open, contemporary layouts. Base prices range from $216,900 to $276,900, and deeded parking costs $17,500 for a garage space and $15,000 for an outdoor space.

The nearest recreational attraction to Welbourn Row is Hamlin Park, located immediately northeast of the development. The park offers two city blocks of green space, a fitness center, lit tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, indoor and outdoor basketball courts, and boxing facilities. In addition, the park's ball fields are home to many local softball leagues.

"The park demonstrates the strength and diversity of the community - from the kids and adults playing sports to the families with their kids in the play lots," Koenig said. "When you think of it, Chicago's neighborhood parks are the closest thing we have to a village green, and living so close to Hamlin Park, Welbourn Row residents can just stroll over after work or on the weekends and meet their neighbors."

Welbourn Row also puts residents close to the Clybourn shopping corridor. In addition to Old Navy, stores along the corridor include Menards and Dominick's, and more stores are moving into the Costco-anchored shopping center at Diversey and Clybourn.

Nearby are two additional supermarkets and a Blockbuster on Western Avenue, and a Target south of the development on Elston Avenue.

"Entertainment-wise, residents can hit the lanes at Diversey Bowl, or catch a movie at the City North 14 Theaters on Western or the Webster Place Theater on Clybourn," Koenig said. "And to find a quality restaurant, residents simply head down any main street."

For instance, there's the Boulevard Café in neighboring Logan Square, Café Bolero on Western, Bar Louie and the Meritage Café & Wine Bar along Damen, and the Green Dolphin Street restaurant and jazz club down Ashland.

"Welbourn Row's accessibility is greatly enhanced by its location on a diagonal street. Longtime residents know that Chicago's diagonal streets offer some of the best shortcuts around the city," Koenig said. "Being located near the Kennedy Expressway, residents can quickly get to jobs and other attractions citywide."

Standard features include hardwood flooring in the living room, kitchen, foyer and hallway; carpeting and pad in the den and bedrooms; and individual gas-forced air heat and central air conditioning. Kitchens feature hickory or oak kitchen cabinets; stainless-steel, double-bowl sinks; an optional kitchen island; and a white-on-white Whirlpool appliance package.

Baths include 6-foot soaking tubs and/or a walk-in shower; designer ceramic tiling on floors, bath and shower surrounds; hickory or oak cabinets; and cultured marble vanity tops.

For moderate-income buyers, Dubin is also offering four homes in Phase I at $50,000 below market value. The homes are based-priced at $155,000 and feature one bedroom, one bath, a den and 875 square feet of space. They are available in partnership with the Chicago Partnership for Affordable Communities, a City of Chicago Department of Housing program.

To qualify, homebuyers can earn between 60 percent and 120 percent of the city's median household income - for example, from $31,680 to $63,360 for one person and $36,180 to $72,360 for a household of two. Buyers must also attend workshops for new homeowners, get approved for a 30-year mortgage by a qualified lender, and be a first-time buyer.

For more information about the affordable homes or the program, visit the Welbourn Row sales center or contact Patricia Johnson, director of the Chicago Department of Housing's Homeownership Center, at (312) 745-1200.

The Welbourn Row sales center is located at 2975 N. Clybourn Ave., one mile east of the Kennedy I-90 Expressway at the southeast corner of Wellington and Clybourn. If driving east on Interstate 90, take the 46A/California Avenue exit. Turn left onto Diversey, and left again onto Clybourn. If heading west on Interstate 90, take the 46B/W Diversey exit, go east on Diversey and turn left onto Clybourn.

Sales center hours are Saturday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment. For more information, call (773) 528-8000 or visit www.dubinresidential.com.

Building condominiums and townhomes in Chicago since the early 1990s, Dubin Residential has earned a reputation for quality and value. The company is currently developing nearly 300 residences, including Buck City Lofts in West Bucktown, Ainslie Row in West Albany Park, Arcadia Place in the West Loop, Emerson Point in Rogers Park, and The Courts of Evanston.

Prices subject to change.