CMK Cos., Lendlease to Create Riverfront Community in Chicago

A rendering of the Riverline master-planned community in Chicago’s South Loop.

Chicago—International property firm Lendlease and local developer CMK Cos. Ltd. are teaming up to bring more than 3,600 residences to Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. The joint venture has just broken ground on Riverline, a waterfront master-planned community that will offer a mix of high-rise, for-sale condos, rental apartments and fee-simple townhomes across eight residential buildings.

The 14-acre community will span most of the area bordered by Harrison Street, the Chicago River, Roosevelet Road and Wells Street and be developed in three phases. Perkins + Will, in collaboration with landscape architects Hoerr Schaudt, is designing the community, replacing what has been a long-vacant site. Buildings A through E will be north of Polk Street, Building F will be south of the River City condominium building and Building G will be built between Taylor Street and Roosevelt Road.

The first phase of development will include three residential buildings, Ancora, Current and Watershed—names inspired by Chicago’s river history and surrounding environment—as well as a 3.5-acre green space and a half-mile riverwalk along the entire property that will have trails, parks and gathering spaces.

Building D, the 420-unit, 29-story Ancora, will be one of the first buildings to open. Amenities will include a rooftop deck, clubroom, demo kitchen and screening room. Ancora will include 24 townhomes and skyhomes on the first five floors and apartment units on floors seven through 29. The sixth floor will be an amenity floor and floors two throuh five will have garage parking. Apartments come in studio, one- and two-bedroom floor plans, ranging in size from 538 square feet for a studio to 1,046 square feet for a two bedroom.

Building G, Current, will be a condo community that will “appeal to younger professionals seeking a high-amenity urban experience,” Lendlease said. The proposed 18-story, 251-unit community will include 28 townhomes and skyhomes on the first five floors and condo units on the seventh through 18th floors. There will also be a sixth floor amenity floor and garage parking on floors two and five. Units come in one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, ranging in size from 726 to 1,465 square feet.

Building H, Watershed, will comprise nine three-story townhouse buildings located south of Current. Three of the buildings along the Chicago River will be called Riverhomes and the other six buildings off of Wells Street will each have six to eight townhomes, totaling 62 townhome and riverhome residences.

The townhomes will come in several styles:

• Three-bedroom/three-and-a-half bath three-story townhomes at the base of Current, averaging 2,132 square feet;
• Two-bedroom/two-and-half bath two-story skyhomes on the fourth and fifth floor of Current, averaging 1,397 square feet;
• Three-bedroom/two-and-a-half bath three-story, fee-simple townhomes along Wells Street will be 2,009 to 2,894 square feet in size, with media rooms in select residences;
• Twenty four-bedroom/four-and-a-half bath fee-simple riverhomes, averaging 3,105 square feet, with media rooms in select units.

The following two phases will bring 16,500 square feet of retail with restaurants and other shops, although further details have not been released.

For a closer look at the upcoming Riverline, see our slideshow below:

Images courtesy of Perkins + Will