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A 12-story apartment building is opening in downtown Skokie with rents as high as $4,149 monthly, and a neighboring business owner expressing a variety of thoughts about it.
On March 15, Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen, developer John Murphy and Skokie Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Howard Meyer were among the community leaders and building teams at a ribbon-cutting for the building, Highpoint at 8000 North, on the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street in Skokie.
The luxury rental building, designed by Lucien Lagrange, towers over the historic downtown area.
A 12-story rental apartment building, Highpoint at 8000 North. is opening in downtown Skokie at the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)
“One of the highlights of this property is the views,” said Irini Boeder, Vice President Marketing for Lincoln Property Company, which manages the building. “You get an entire city skyline of Chicago and it’s spectacular. It’s breathtaking when you see it from the twelfth floor.”
“You have easy access to the city but you’re not in that downtown hustle and bustle,” added Jeff Stanfield of Lincoln Property Company, who is business manager of Highpoint at 8000 North.
The building was originally planned as a partnership between Greenspire Capital, Pontarelli & Company, and Hoffman Homes. Construction began in 2018 but stopped a year later when funds ran out. In 2020, Murphy Real Estate Services purchased the property, hiring Lincoln Property Company as the management company.
Boeder did not know the reason why the original builders decided to make this a rental building rather than create condos, but said she thinks it was a good decision.
“We know that there is a demand for rental properties in all of the markets that we’re in,” Boeder reported. “We find a lot of people that are either selling their home or would like to have flexibility in their lease term. We definitely see a lot of demand for the renting option over purchasing—whether you’re in-between purchasing a home or you just started a new job in the Chicagoland area and you’re not sure where you want to end up long-term.”
Stanfield said that approximately 20% of the building’s 153 units are rented. He noted that approximately half of those renters are young professionals.
The building offers studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom rentals. The website lists starting prices ranging from $1,482 for the lowest-priced studio to $4,149 for a three-bedroom unit.
A 12-story rental apartment building, Highpoint at 8000 North. is opening in downtown Skokie at the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street. – Original Credit: Pioneer Press/Chicago Tribune (Pam DeFiglio / HANDOUT)
The studios are 550 square feet; one bedrooms average around 750 square feet; two bedrooms are 1,000 to 1,100 square feet; three bedrooms are around 1,200 square feet.
Stanfield described the building’s amenities.
“Our first floor is our office and a beautiful lobby and mailroom,” he said. “On the top floor we have a great fitness center with outdoor terrace. We have a beautiful open clubroom; a gaming area which includes pool table, ping pong, shuffleboard. We have five work-from-home spaces, private offices. And a party room with a beautiful chef kitchen that people can reserve.” There are also grills and fire pits.
There is no doorman or security person onsite.
Stanfield said visitors have to be buzzed in and residents have a view of the lobby so they can tell who they are buzzing in.
The building will hold events for residents, Stanfield indicated.
“Every other week, we’ll have some sort of activity, whether it be wine tasting or candle making,” he said. “To get to know your neighbors and socialize.”
Dogs and cats are allowed, but there is a size limit.
There is retail space on the ground floor for a restaurant and three other businesses but none of the spaces had been rented at publication time.
Wendy Kaplan, owner of the Skokie Theatre, expressed reservations about how the building will fit into downtown Skokie.
“I have had many conversations with a couple of the local merchants who are very concerned that the building is not going to do for downtown Skokie what the village would like it to do,” Kaplan said.
“The issue is that many of the merchants in Skokie are concerned about the vacancies in the stores downtown. If the building goes up without stores on the street level, people are concerned that they’re not going to sell out the building and it’s going to be an empty eyesore on the corner like the empty stores all around the town.”
Kaplan admitted, “If we move a lot of upper-middle-class people into the neighborhood, that’s a wonderful thing.”
She still has questions, though. “What are we as merchants going to offer them as the reason to be in the town? It’s a difficult dilemma,” she said.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
A 12-story rental apartment building, Highpoint at 8000 North. is opening in downtown Skokie at the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)
Thank you for supporting our journalism. This article is available exclusively for our subscribers, who help fund our work at the Chicago Tribune. A 12-story apartment building is opening in downtown Skokie with rents as high as $4,149 monthly, and a neighboring business owner expressing a variety of thoughts about it. On March 15, Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen, developer John Murphy and Skokie Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Howard Meyer were among the community leaders and building teams at a ribbon-cutting for the building, Highpoint at 8000 North, on the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street in Skokie. The luxury rental building, designed by Lucien Lagrange, towers over the historic downtown area. A 12-story rental apartment building, Highpoint at 8000 North. is opening in downtown Skokie at the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press) “One of the highlights of this property is the views,” said Irini Boeder, Vice President Marketing for Lincoln Property Company, which manages the building. “You get an entire city skyline of Chicago and it’s spectacular. It’s breathtaking when you see it from the twelfth floor.” “You have easy access to the city but you’re not in that downtown hustle and bustle,” added Jeff Stanfield of Lincoln Property Company, who is business manager of Highpoint at 8000 North. The building was originally planned as a partnership between Greenspire Capital, Pontarelli & Company, and Hoffman Homes. Construction began in 2018 but stopped a year later when funds ran out. In 2020, Murphy Real Estate Services purchased the property, hiring Lincoln Property Company as the management company. Boeder did not know the reason why the original builders decided to make this a rental building rather than create condos, but said she thinks it was a good decision. “We know that there is a demand for rental properties in all of the markets that we’re in,” Boeder reported. “We find a lot of people that are either selling their home or would like to have flexibility in their lease term. We definitely see a lot of demand for the renting option over purchasing—whether you’re in-between purchasing a home or you just started a new job in the Chicagoland area and you’re not sure where you want to end up long-term.” Stanfield said that approximately 20% of the building’s 153 units are rented. He noted that approximately half of those renters are young professionals. The building offers studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom rentals. The website lists starting prices ranging from $1,482 for the lowest-priced studio to $4,149 for a three-bedroom unit. A 12-story rental apartment building, Highpoint at 8000 North. is opening in downtown Skokie at the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street. – Original Credit: Pioneer Press/Chicago Tribune (Pam DeFiglio / HANDOUT) The studios are 550 square feet; one bedrooms average around 750 square feet; two bedrooms are 1,000 to 1,100 square feet; three bedrooms are around 1,200 square feet. Stanfield described the building’s amenities. “Our first floor is our office and a beautiful lobby and mailroom,” he said. “On the top floor we have a great fitness center with outdoor terrace. We have a beautiful open clubroom; a gaming area which includes pool table, ping pong, shuffleboard. We have five work-from-home spaces, private offices. And a party room with a beautiful chef kitchen that people can reserve.” There are also grills and fire pits. There is no doorman or security person onsite. Stanfield said visitors have to be buzzed in and residents have a view of the lobby so they can tell who they are buzzing in. The building will hold events for residents, Stanfield indicated. “Every other week, we’ll have some sort of activity, whether it be wine tasting or candle making,” he said. “To get to know your neighbors and socialize.” Dogs and cats are allowed, but there is a size limit. There is retail space on the ground floor for a restaurant and three other businesses but none of the spaces had been rented at publication time. Wendy Kaplan, owner of the Skokie Theatre, expressed reservations about how the building will fit into downtown Skokie. “I have had many conversations with a couple of the local merchants who are very concerned that the building is not going to do for downtown Skokie what the village would like it to do,” Kaplan said. “The issue is that many of the merchants in Skokie are concerned about the vacancies in the stores downtown. If the building goes up without stores on the street level, people are concerned that they’re not going to sell out the building and it’s going to be an empty eyesore on the corner like the empty stores all around the town.” Kaplan admitted, “If we move a lot of upper-middle-class people into the neighborhood, that’s a wonderful thing.” She still has questions, though. “What are we as merchants going to offer them as the reason to be in the town? It’s a difficult dilemma,” she said. Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. A 12-story rental apartment building, Highpoint at 8000 North. is opening in downtown Skokie at the northwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street. (Pam DeFiglio / Pioneer Press)