It’s not exactly what I’ve been hearing on TV, radio, or in the newspaper, but…

“There’s a huge condo market with a lot of opportunity, we’re still seeing the market as very strong,” says Jim McLean, Executive Vice President of Tishman Construction Co., which is planning to finish construction on the $28M Park View East soon.  The 140-unit condominium project is located in Lakeview at 828 W. Grace Street, and includes over 4,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, which used to be a building that housed the community-favorite Marigold Bowl.  Most of the units in the building include spacious balconies, and all have red oak hardwood flooring.  Unit prices vary from around $300,000 for “typical units” to $340,000 for “premier units”, most of which have already been sold.  None of the penthouse units are available.

Technorati Tags: Chicago condos, Park View East, Lakeview

Slated to begin construction in 2007, with completion scheduled for 2010, the pre-construction condominium Park Michigan will be the tallest building in Chicago south of Van Buren, and the 10th tallest in all of Chicago, at 80 stories. It will be located on a 8,000 sq. ft. lot at 830 S. Michigan Avenue.

This hi-rise condo will feature 376 one- to four-bedroom condo units ranging from 700 to 3,000 square feet. Amenities include landscaped decks, green roofs, indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center, 470 parking spaces and an illuminated crown that will be clearly visible in the South Loop skyline. The developer of this condo, Renaissant, has also built projects such as the 253-unit Vision on State St. and the complex at 1000. S. Michigan Avenue.

Technorati Tags: Chicago Condos, Hi-rise Condos, Park Michigan

John Vanderslice, CEO of Miraval Resorts, wants to introduce you to a new type of living - in fact, a new type of condo.

Its unofficial name is the Spadominium. Its official name is Miraval Living, and it’s slated to be located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in early 2008. These condos are more than just living spaces; according to the project’s website, they’re New York City’s first “inspired living experience.” Residents can choose to participate in a myriad of wellness classes and activities, as well as enjoy the comfort of a full-blown spa down the hallway from their condominium unit.  According to Vanderslice, 10 to 15 more of these projects are in the planning stages for other cities accross the country, including Chicago.

According to the San Fransisco Chronicle, “Miraval Living is notable for the intensity — one might call it invasiveness — of its concept. Staff advisers will design a custom regimen for each new resident, drawing from hundreds of in-house services that include things like sessions with Dr. Lana L. Holstein, a sex therapist, and the chance to experience the Quantum Leap, a tethered, sometimes blindfolded jump from a tiny platform affixed to the top of a telephone pole.”

This appears to be the next step in condo marketing - combining comfort with wellness, something very popular with America’s aging baby-boom population.  Think of Miraval Living as the condo equivalent of Whole Foods.  Miraval’s primary competitor, Canyon Ranch, plans on opening a spadominium in Chicago in 2010.  The waiting list is already 600 people deep.

Technorati Tags: Chicago condos, Spadominium, Miraval Living