Not everyone can afford to rent in Hyde Park or Lincoln Park, or even Rogers Park, for that matter. And, of course, not everyone wants to.
Chicago`s rental market is as diverse as the residents who flavor its neighborhoods, but the North Side lakefront neighborhoods-because of their popularity-seem to get most of the attention.
For the last two years, writer Charles Kouri and I have traversed Chicago`s 77 communities, as demarcated by the U.S. Census Bureau, in search of rental opportunities in each. Hopefully, the resulting ”City living”
columns provided readers with some rental alternatives to the higher-profile neighborhoods like those mentioned above.
As the series winds up, the Tribune thought it would be interesting to revisit five neighborhoods where rents are competitive with the median monthly rent in Chicago (about $377, according to 1990 Census statistics);
transportation to downtown is accessible and quick (30 minutes or less); and crime rates are relatively low (or at least stable) in the categories that seem to affect renters most: serious assaults, burglaries and auto thefts.
Citywide, serious assaults are up 23 percent over the last five years, and auto thefts increased by 19 percent during the same period. Burglaries remained fairly stable, with 52,234 incidents reported in 1991, up from 50,203 in 1990 and 51,580 in 1989, according to Tribune statistics.
In looking at the neighborhoods, we also accounted for a few, less-quantifiable elements, such as the extent of residential renovations and the outlook for more, nearby amenities such as shops and neighborhood watering holes, as well as owner-occupancy rates in buildings and activities conducted by neighborhood groups.
For the skeptics, this is not an exercise in predicting the next gentrifying neighborhoods, nor is it an attempt to present a ”top five list of hot neighborhoods,” as one excited landlord put it to me. Call it an exercise in presenting alternatives to get you out of the rental rut.
Lincoln Square
West of Uptown, where Lincoln Avenue crosses Lawrence and Western Avenues, rests the heart of Lincoln Square, a bustling neighborhood with a treasure trove of ethnic restaurants and shops. In the mood for Greek, German, Korean, Polish, Filipino or Latin American food? It`s all there in Lincoln Square.
Rental opportunities are diverse as well. While two- and three-flats predominate in Lincoln Square, there are also courtyard buildings, duplexes and a fair number of corner buildings whose rents reflect the square footage and not the number of rooms. A small one-bedroom, for example, in a large corner building might rent for $375, while a large one-bedroom with a dining room in the same building could fetch $450.
Overall, one-bedroom units usually rent for $390 to $450, with two-bedroom flats fetching $450 to $550. Three-bedroom units rarely rent for more than $700.
Lincoln Square`s boundaries stretch from Ravenswood Avenue on the east
(1800 West) all the way to the Chicago River on the west. The safest parts of the stretch from Ravenswood Avenue on the east (1800 West) all the way to the Chicago River on the west. The safest parts of the neighborhood-and, not coincidentally, the areas with the most owner-occupied buildings-are tucked on sidestreets off Lawrence and Foster Avenues.
The ride downtown on the Ravenswood ”L” line, which stops at Western and Damen Avenues, takes about 20 minutes, and bus service along Lawrence and Western runs 24 hours a day.
Logan Square
The preservation of Logan Square`s architectural gems along its vast boulevards has continued at a rapid pace, driving up cheap rents that were so attractive to adventurous yuppies and artistic types in the past, particularly when compared with the sky-high rents in De Paul to the east.
Still, there are bargains. While rents in rehabbed buildings along the boulevards range from $550 to $1,000-plus for one- to three-bedroom apartments, similar flats a block or two away often rent for $150 to $250 less.
”The boulevard is expensive,” says Paddy Lauber, who manages several boulevard properties, ”but that`s not to say that you can`t find an equally nice apartment on the side streets.”
The center of the neighborhood-in an area bordered by Western and Armitage Avenues and Kedzie and Logan Boulevards-offers a vast array of apartments, excellent shopping, particularly along Milwaukee Avenue near Fullerton, and relative safety, thanks to the efforts of landlords, residents and groups like the Logan Square Neighborhood Association and Logan Square Preservation, which sponsors the annual walk of historic homes in the community.
Crime in the heart of Logan Square, including Palmer Square on the western fringe, has remained stable over the last three years, though the number of auto thefts increased 20 percent last year compared to 1989
(probably from parking all those BMWs along the boulevard).
CTA bus service in Logan Square includes lines along Milwaukee, Western, Armitage, Fullerton, Kimball and California.
Logan Square`s main rapid transit stations include the California/
Milwaukee elevated station and the Logan Square subway station at Milwaukee, Kedzie and Logan. The train ride into the Loop takes about 20 minutes. The same line serves O`Hare International Airport.
East Pilsen
The perception of East Pilsen, a strip of lofts and apartments that quietly exists in the shadow of the Dan Ryan Expressway between Cermak Road and 16th Street, seems to be changing from ”it`s a nice place to visit” to
”I wouldn`t mind living there.”
Fueled by visitors to the area`s thriving arts scene, East Pilsen`s appeal has broadened beyond artists and photographers who snatched up the community`s large lofts and other work-live spaces, which rent for $450 to $700 per month.
”I`ve got a waiting list for work-live spaces. I wish I had more,”
notes John Podmajersky, whose family operates several commercial and residential properties in the Pilsen area.
Courtyard buildings and walkup apartments over storefronts rent for $400 to $800 per month along Halsted Street. Farther west, rents begin to drop dramatically, particularly in owner-occupied two-flats, where one-bedrooms with gas space heat rent for $200 to $350. Some landlords do accept Section 8 housing.
Statistics show the nature of crime has been changing in East Pilsen. While serious assaults and burglaries steadily decreased over the last three years, auto thefts have increased slightly in the area bordered by Roosevelt, Morgan Street, the Ryan and 19th Street.
Transportation options include the Dan Ryan Expressway, which hovers over the community`s eastern border, and the Congress-Douglas elevated line, which stops at 18th Street. CTA buses provide service along Cermak Road, 18th Street and Blue Island and Archer Avenues.
Midway
The future flight of renters to the Midway area, comprising the northern sectors of the West Lawn and Chicago Lawn communities, is fittingly based on transportation issues. In this case, however, the mode will be rail, in the form of the Southwest Rapid Transit Line, whose trains will make the jaunt from Midway to the Loop in about 30 minutes, beginning late this year or early in 1993.
Apartments are well-maintained, generally owner-occupied and offer value, with rents ranging from $375 to $425 for a one-bedroom, with two-bedrooms fetching $475 to $550 and three-bedrooms renting for between $525 and $700.
Rents tend to drop slightly-$25 to $30 per month on similar units-as you move further east, though the decreases ”don`t necessarily correspond with the property values,” according to Pat Faley of A&F Real Estate.
Rents, though, have crept up, because of lower vacancy rates and landlords banking on the area`s popularity with the added transit line.
Crime in the Midway area varies, though it`s generally regarded as one of the safest areas of the city. While the number of serious assaults has been minimal, and burglaries have declined, auto thefts have increased on all police beats during the last three years.
Transportation downtown will greatly improve with the advent of the rapid transit line. Currently, the closest transportation options include the cumbersome Archer Avenue Express bus route, a 45-minute to one-hour trip during peak times, and the Stevenson Expressway.
Chatham
Chatham is often overlooked by renters who are more familiar with the community`s reputation for single-family housing, even though rental units make up nearly 60 percent of the housing mix in the South Side community.
Chatham offers a variety of rental opportunities, including apartments and co-ops that are more readily available than homes, which are always in high demand in the area. Rents for one-bedroom apartments range from $350 to $500, while two-bedroom units often fetch between $450 and $600. Some landlords accept Section 8 housing, and properties are generally well maintained, due to the large number of owner-occupants in Chatham`s many two- flats.
”Owners do take pride in their properties in Chatham, and that includes apartment buildings,” says Alvia Baker, broker-owner at Du Sable Realty. Baker notes that Chatham`s best bargain apartments may be in owner-occupied two-flats with retired or semi-retired owners who might be less likely to raise rents on a regular basis.
Chatham`s shopping opportunities are plentiful, particularly along 87th Street, and transportation around the community and to and from downtown are excellent. Crime is lower east of the Dan Ryan Expressway, mostly because of high owner-occupancy and vigilant block club efforts.
Chatham`s downtown transportation options include CTA buses that run along both Cottage Grove Avenue and King Drive, while the Lake-Dan Ryan ”L” and Metra Electric trains get you downtown in about 20 minutes. The Dan Ryan Expressway, Calumet Expressway and South Shore Drive are also nearby.
