Midtown Square Opens

The Midtown Square apartment building has opened in downtown Glenview, within walking distance of several businesses and the Metra station on Depot Street, and the location had at least one resident eyeing the spot recently, mulling a move.

“Everything is here — one block to a church and the Catholic school, three blocks to public schools, two blocks to Metra and restaurants,” said Mary Burckart, a Glenview resident for 41 years.

Burckart visited Midtown Square on a recent Monday morning, after watching construction of the four-story, mixed-use complex at 998 Church Street over the last year.

She said she and her husband, who is retired, were considering selling their Glenview home and moving to Midtown.

“We’re thinking of downsizing. Why go to Florida?” she said. “We want to find a place like this. The apartments are big enough and have high ceilings.”

The 138-unit apartment residence, built by McShane Construction Company, sits on 2.7 acres. Floor plans include 101 one-bedroom and 37 two-bedroom residences. The complex also includes a fitness center, wi-fi and two lounges.

Rent for the properties range from $1,650 to $3,820, officials said.

Midtown building manager Nicole Norman said the units are 30 percent occupied.

“That’s pretty much where we expected to be, so far,” she said. “It’ll pick up in spring.”

Libby Duncan moved to Midtown in November 2014 from Northbrook and was its first tenant.

A communications marketer for a nonprofit in Chicago, Duncan walks to the Metra station. She said several nearby stores, such as Von Maur in The Glen Town Center and Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie, are short drives.

“I grew up in a small farming community near Decatur ... and I liked what Glenview had to offer in a suburb,” she said. “There were no apartments in Glenview to attract a young professional like me until Midtown was completed.”

Norman said others may move to the location because they’re familiar with the town.

“People from the area are interested in Midtown and people who want to move here because they have family here or lived here before,” Norman said.

In January 2014, the Illinois Chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism gave Midtown Square its “Best Block” award.

The residential project was cited for being near public transportation, supporting local businesses with its multiple tenant units and conforming to Glenview’s revised building codes.

Midtown’s ground floor on Glenview Road is for businesses, and CorePower Yoga opened Jan. 11. It is one of 12 locations for the company in the Chicago suburbs, officials with the company said.

“CorePower really focuses on picking places where the community will embrace yoga and wellness.” Melissa DeLeo, studio manager at the Midtown Square location. “We want people who are invested in their communities and enjoy seeing each other at our studios.

“It’s not just a gymnasium here, but rather where people take classes together and learn together,” she said.

tshields@tribpub.com