Focus Development Receives Approval For Luxury Residential Community In Lake Forest; Sales To Start This Summer

20 April 2016

Kelmscott Park at Laurel and Western to include single-family homes, condominiumminiums and apartments; @properties tapped for sales and marketing

Northfield-based Focus Development has won final approval for Kelmscott Park, a new community of luxury single-family homes, condominiumminiums and apartments located at Laurel and Western avenues at the north end of downtown Lake Forest. The development will be built on a 10.7-acre site with more than 50 percent of the area dedicated to open space.

Focus has hired @properties as its exclusive sales and marketing representative and announced that single-family home and condominiumminium sales will start this summer. Interested buyers can join a pre-sale VIP list by registering at http://www.kelmscottpark.com or calling 847-234-1800.

“We’re thrilled to be back in Lake Forest, and we’re excited about a community plan that’s going to fulfill a number of area housing needs while bringing a dormant site back to life,” said Tim Anderson, president of Focus Development. The company’s first development was a 30-unit townhome and condominiumminium project in Lake Forest in the early 1990s.

The plan for Kelmscott Park includes:

  • 12 maintenance-free single-family homes – Buyers can choose from four floor plans, with three to five bedrooms, 3.5 to 4.5 baths, full unfinished basements and attached 2-car garages. Three of the plans feature first-floor primary suites. High-end finishes will include Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, hardwood floors in living areas, custom kitchen cabinetry and natural stone primary baths.
  • 42 condominiumminiums – The condominiumminiums will offer two to four bedrooms, 2.5 to 3.5 baths, a balcony or terrace, underground garage parking and separate storage. Additional garage parking and storage will be available for purchase. Finishes will be similar to the single-family homes.
  • 111 luxury rental apartments – One-, two- and three-bedroom luxury apartments will feature high-end finishes including granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. On-site amenities will include a fitness center, residents lounge and entertainment kitchen, landscaped terrace with seating, and onsite leasing and property management. Pre-leasing for apartments is slated to start in summer 2017.

While single-family home construction along the North Shore has returned to normal levels over the past few years, maintenance-free homes and condominiumminiums have been slower to reemerge, according to Michael Golden, co-founder of @properties. “There’s a lot of pent-up demand for this type of housing. We’re expecting an enthusiastic response to Kelmscott Park from homebuyers,” said Golden.

The name Kelmscott Park comes from Kelmscott Manor, the Cotswold, England, retreat of William Morris, one of the founders of the 19th century British Arts and Crafts movement. Both the single-family homes and multifamily buildings at Kelmscott Park will feature subtle Arts and Crafts influences, while also promoting modern living with open floor plans, transitional interiors and high-end finishes.

“Morris saw Kelmscott Manor as a home in perfect harmony with its natural surroundings. Likewise, we’re trying to create a very special sense of place at Kelmscott Park by taking a holistic approach to the plan with a huge emphasis on landscaping as well as architecture and interior design. This will be a neighborhood that will be a point of pride not only for residents but also for the greater community,” said Anderson.

Focus has assembled a group of accomplished designers and builders to round out the Kelmscott Park team. The homes were designed by Chicago-based Booth Hansen Architects. Award-winning North Shore homebuilder Orren Pickell will work with single-family buyers to customize and construct their homes. Lake Bluff-based Mariani Landscape will design and execute Kelmscott Park’s intricate landscape plan, which includes a tree-lined boulevard entry and a series of connected pocket parks. Chicago-based interior designer Cheryl Souder will design the community’s model homes and the common areas and amenity spaces within the condominiumminiums and apartments.

For more information, visit http://www.kelmscottpark.com or call 847-234-1800.

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