A new luxury rental apartment community located at Fox Valley Mall in Aurora held its ceremonial grand opening on Wednesday evening, marking the latest milestone in the mall’s redevelopment.
Lucca, which is now the second apartment community to open on the Fox Valley Mall campus as part of its major redevelopment, has in total 323 units split between studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments with various floor plans, some of which include dens.
The new development was designed as a “live, work, play community center” with a variety of open space and amenities, according to a city news release.
The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday showed off some of those amenities, including a large lobby with luxury and artistic finishes that was designed to be a social space, a workout room with a variety of equipment and a dedicated indoor entertainment space with seating and a fireplace.
Those attending the grand opening packed the lobby while chatting, enjoying appetizers and listening to live music.
Among those attending were officials from the city of Aurora and from the companies that partnered to make Lucca a reality: Focus, Affinius Capital, Atlantic Residential and Centennial.
“We are just so proud of this building, and we’re so proud of bringing this to the community of Aurora,” Tim Anderson, founder and CEO of Focus, said at Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting.
Aurora Deputy Mayor Casildo “Casey” Cuevas thanked the group for choosing Aurora to construct what he said was a “beautiful” building with amenities that are “second to none.”
While grand opening attendees stayed inside because of the rain, just outside the lobby a pool and surrounding courtyard could be seen through large windows. The “oasis courtyard” is fully enclosed within the development and also holds cabanas, a ping pong table, turf with lawn games and a covered outdoor entertainment kitchen where events can be hosted, according to a Focus spokesperson.
Lucca also features a variety of other amenities that grand opening attendees may not have gotten the chance to see.
One such amenity is the co-working courtyard, which is a shaded outdoor area with seating, hammocks and Wi-Fi access. Co-working space is also available indoors.
For residents with pets, Lucca has both an outdoor dog run that spans 2,300 square feet and a dog spa, which is an indoor dog play area that also includes dog wash stations with water hoses and blow dryers.
Lucca has some outside parking but also has a large indoor parking garage within the building itself plus has a dedicated room for indoor bike storage.
Near the development’s lobby, residents will soon have access to a “bodega” — a self-service, grab-and-go market set to be installed by August so residents can purchase snack items, pantry staples and toiletry essentials without leaving their apartment building.
The social room near the lobby, the one with a fireplace, can be used by residents casually or rent for private events, a Focus spokesperson said.
Apartments are currently available, with prices starting at $1,775 a month for studios, $1,965 for one-bedroom and $2,600 for two-bedroom units, according to a city news release. Currently, 20% of the units have been rented and 9% are occupied.
Some minor construction work is still being done on the property, according to a Focus spokesperson. Because of the building’s size, it is being built in phases, and while the first and second phases are complete, the third is set to be finished later this summer, the spokesperson said.
Fox Valley Mall is currently undergoing what a mall official previously called “the most significant redevelopment of the campus since it was originally developed in the mid-1970s.” In addition to the new housing, the mall has also brought in more entertainment with the goal of making the campus a live, work, play environment, according to past reporting.
A city news release called Lucca’s opening “the completion of the second phase of redevelopment” at the mall. Lumen, the first apartment community to be built on the mall campus, opened in 2022.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
