Ask people their idea of heaven and many will tell you it’s reclining in a boat on a sun-drenched summer afternoon, alone on a placid lake, a cool drink in one hand and a fishing pole in the other.
Unfortunately for most Chicago-area renters, that idyllic experience requires a trip to rural Wisconsin. But for a lucky few, the lake and the boat are right outside their doors. They’re the ones who live at communities that not only feature lakes, but encourage boating.
With summer and crystal blue waters beckoning, Your Place went overboard to find these rare communities. And “rare” is the correct term, because the lakes at most rental properties are strictly for show, not for sailing.
One notable exception is Water’s Edge, a 10-year-old, 108-unit apartment community in Lake Villa. Situated on the shores of 200-acre Deep Lake, a 25,000-year-old spring-fed glacier lake with 2.8 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 52 feet, Water’s Edge offers a resort-like setting tailor made for people who love boating and fishing.
According to property manager Lonna Westergren, Deep Lake is “the second cleanest lake in the state of Illinois,” thanks in part to three aeration systems installed in 1971. To help ensure the lake stays clean, boats are limited to engines no bigger than six horsepower.
But that doesn’t stop many Water’s Edge residents from boating in their own small watercraft.
“Every resident has a parking space that can be used for boat storage,” said Westergren. “A lot of people have sailboats, and many of my residents are into windsurfing this year. And I have several scuba divers.”
Many residents use their boats or the floating wood pier to angle for Deep Lake’s numerous species of fish, including yellow perch, crappie, sunfish, carp, golden shiner, bluegill and yellow, brown or black bullhead. Among the anglers is Barney Weisz, 55, an automobile salesman who has lived at Water’s Edge for almost eight years.
“I have a two-man inflatable boat,” said Weisz. “It takes a little trolling motor, or you can use oars. Once I blow it up, I keep it up all summer.”
Weisz, who frequently boats and fishes early in the morning or after work, savors the solitude he experiences on the lake. “I can go out when I want, and I don’t have crowds,” he said. “I deal with the public all day, and when I go home, I want to have peace and quiet.”
Deep Lake is open to boats from sunrise to sunset, and boaters flock to it with the first warm weather of the year. “As soon as the ice breaks, you can go ahead and put your boat out,” said Westergren, who added that Water’s Edge residents love the fact that recreational opportunities are right at their doorstep.
“When you come home, you’re coming home to a resort,” she observed. “You don’t have to go anywhere to go to a beach, or have a picnic. It’s right here.”
You might imagine that sailing enthusiasts would be flooding into Water’s Edge, creating a waiting list for available apartments. But Westergren reports that units are available on a regular basis. “We do have normal turnover,” she said. “Many people are moving into homes, and there are a lot of corporates who rent for one year and move on.”
Woodland Creek, a 17-year-old, 640-unit apartment community in Wheeling, is another Chicago-area property that encourages boating. Its 8-acre, 30-foot deep lake, stocked with bass and crappie, is a popular destination for residents every summer.
Leasing consultant Carolyn Doheny says the community makes available sailboats, paddleboats and canoes to residents free of charge, though the vessels do have to be reserved in advance. The lake stands next to the clubhouse in the middle of the property, and on the opposite shore is a wooded area with trails, grills and a picnic area.
The lake opens to boaters “pretty much as soon as it gets warm,” said Doheny. It closes in September, about the same time the pool is covered for the winter. During the summer, boaters can cruise the waters each evening until 9 p.m.
“It’s beautiful,” said Doheny. “There’s a water fountain in the middle of the lake, a trail goes around it and it’s a beautiful view from the apartments. The residents really enjoy . . . that we do allow boats. And they really like that we allow fishing, too.”
Woodland Creek is managed by The Finger Cos., which also operates The Tree House Luxury Apartments in Schaumburg. Like Woodland Creek, The Tree House is a place where apartment renting and boating come together.
The 18-year-old, 752-unit community is situated on 42 acres. On the northeast side of the property is a 3-acre, 14-foot-deep lake with a dock, a picnic area and a small sand beach. Tree House pool attendants lend two-person paddleboats and canoes to residents, and property manager Irene Howard reports that sailboats are expected to be added to the selection of watercraft this summer.
The lake opens to boats at the same time the pool opens, generally around Memorial Day, and closes in September. Residents can sail from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
“You could spend the whole day down there,” noted Howard. “You can cook out there on the grills, and you can fish for carp, bluegill, smallmouth bass and bullhead. In the summertime, it’s beautiful back there. You don’t even feel like you’re in Schaumburg.”
At HighPoint Community in Romeoville, which stresses a feeling of belonging among its residents, the 5-acre body of water in the center of the property is appropriately called Friendship Lake. Residents can use the free paddleboats provided by HighPoint Community, or can make waves in their own sailboats or canoes. They can also fish for bluegill, bass and carp.
This will be the first full season for boating on Friendship Lake, said Katie Tolbert, marketing director for the 552-unit community, which opened in July 1997. “We’re having a huge luau party on May 22,” she said. “Everything will be up and running by then, and the boats will be in the water. We’ll go through the end of September.”
And because the lake is open to boaters until 10 p.m. each night, moonlight cruises are likely to be a high point of the summer for many residents.
For those mariners who prefer a city rather than suburban address, River City is the logical choice. The 18-year-old, 464-unit community at 800 S. Wells St. features a 64-slip marina, said Evangeline Gouletas, co-chairman of Chicago’s American Invsco Corp., and the principal manager of River City.
“We are the only residential rental building in the city with a marina,” said Gouletas. “To our knowledge, it’s the only marina in the city that accommodates boaters during the winter. We keep the water bubbling so it won’t freeze. It’s called winter in-water storage. The marina is open all year-round. And we have five boaters who live on their boats all year-round.”
Slips range from 20 to 50 feet or more, she added. All the slips have phone jacks, cable TV hookups and are protected by 24-hour security.
“(Residents) come down the elevator, and they’re on their boats,” Gouletas observed. “They come back on their boats, and they’re home. How much more ideal than this can life get?”
