(Michigan City, IN) - A 12 story luxury apartment tower above the new South Shore Railroad commuter line train station in downtown Michigan City is nearly completed.
Clarence Hulse, Executive Director of the city’s Economic Development Corporation, said the goal is for construction to be completed by July 1 with people beginning to move into their apartments toward the end of August.
Hulse said reservations have already been made on 115 of the 220 apartments at Franklin St. and E. 8th St. He said the goal is to have the remainder of the units filled by the end of the year.
Hulse said another 300 or so people living there will provide another boost to the ongoing revitalization of the downtown, which has had a lot of new businesses open in the past decade. He credited faster travel times to and from Chicago by train from the double track completed last year for much of the noticeable increase in money developers are making in the downtown area and elsewhere in the community.
“Now, people are looking at us as a place to come and invest their dollars. I never want to underestimate or undervalue what this has meant for Michigan City,” he said.
Monthly rent will be start at about $1,500.
According to the developers, about two-thirds of the apartments are one bedroom while 20 percent are two bedroom with the rest being a combination of three bedroom and studio units. The main level will be available for retail and other commercial establishments like a restaurant or coffee shop.
There is also an over 500 space parking garage beside the tower for use by tenants and riders before and after they step off the trains. Other amenities include a heated swim/spa with an adjacent outdoor movie lounge, an outdoor rooftop sky lounge providing scenic views of Lake Michigan, courtyard grilling decks, fire pits, and a dog park.
About 300 employees are expected to work at the apartment tower, which will generate over $800,000 in annual real estate taxes, officials said.
Hulse said 14 additional trips to Chicago by train have been scheduled during the week since the double track opened.
