Address: 1615 Arbor Lane, Crest Hill.
Size: One bedroom; 611 square feet.
Rent: $399 to $419 a month.
Age of building: About 20 years old.
Security deposit: One month`s rent.
Floors in building: Three.
Utilities: Gas and heat included in rent.
Parking: Free in outdoor lot; $65 a month for garage space.
Special features: Laundry room, swimming pool, sand volleyball court, hot tub and clubroom.
There`s no lack of snack stops on the trail to Arbor Club apartments in southwest suburban Crest Hill. Rows of neon signs seem to advertise every imaginable fast-food chain on the flat barren land along Weber Road.
But turning off for the apartment complex is like entering a circle-like village area.
Once known as the Willowbridge Apartments and then Crestwood Village, Arbor Club is like a town in itself. Seventeen three-story apartment buildings are spread out over 27 acres, where you can choose among studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units.
We visited a one-bedroom model apartment whose size, layout and closet space make it a good choice for either a single person or a couple.
”We seem to attract a range of people from different backgrounds,” says Michael Milewski, customer service manager for the apartments. ”We get a number of seniors or retired people who are empty nesters and we get a number of students who go to Lewis University that is nearby or the culinary arts college in Joliet.”
It`s no wonder that various categories of renters see the possibilities of this one-bedroom apartment.
The living room, at 16 by 14 feet, can accommodate a regular-size sofa, a loveseat, a cocktail table, a small entertainment center and a chair. A guest closet is adjacent to the door as you enter the apartment.
Just off the living room area is the dining area, where a ceiling fan offers cooling breezes in the summer and there`s enough space to accommodate a table for four.
The galley-style kitchen includes the dining area and measures about 14 by 6 feet. The kitchen has white cabinets with light-brown wood trim. On one side are a refrigerator with cabinets and a counter for food preparation. On the other side, there`s a stove, more counter space, a double-sink and a dishwasher.
A short hall leads to the bathroom and the bedroom.
This average-size bathroom has a white bathtub/shower, toilet and sink.
A linen closet with a mirrored door is in the hall between the bathroom and bedroom.
The bedroom, which measures about 11 by 14 feet, can accommodate a king-size bed, a dresser and a chair. There`s also space here for a
clotheshorse`s wardrobe in the walk-in closet, which is like a small room. There are shelves and hanging space on both sides of the closet and plenty of floor space for storing large items, too.
The walls of the model apartment are wallpapered, but the standard one-bedroom unit is painted off-white. Beige or gray carpeting extends wall-to-wall in every room except the kitchen and bathroom, which have off-white tile floors.
The windows in the living room and bedroom have white mini-blinds.
There`s much to like in this apartment, including ample closet space for storage. The semi-open design of the kitchen/dining room flows into the living room and helps eliminate the boxlike feeling of so many apartments.
But apartment shoppers who prefer to have some transition area between their entrance door and their living space may be turned off, because once you open the door to this apartment, you`re in the living room-there`s no hall or foyer.
This apartment complex has undergone months of renovation, and the owners are proud to show off the end results. Current Development Corp. purchased the property in 1987 when the apartment complex was in the midst of mortgage foreclosure, federal bankruptcy proceedings and in need of a lot of attention. An estimated $8 million was spent on a rehab, inside and out.
The interior rehab work included gutting and renovating each apartment as well as all common area hallways, stairways and laundry rooms.
For rental information, call 815-741-2969.
