University Village Pros/cons (Chicago, Naperville: condos, crime rate, townhomes)

[desibear]

Pros:
- Has a suburb in the downtown feel to it
- More intimate green spaces (easy to watch kids)
- Surrounding area is now full of restaurants, etc..
- New construction
- Right next to the highways

Cons:
- Right next to the highways
- Right next to trains heading into downtown
- Isn't all that much cheaper than LP or LV (in fact, similar homes in LP or LV seem to be cheaper but are older/don't have the same square footage/don't have parking)


I'm not fully sold on University Village but am considering it. Anyone care to weigh in on it? Anyone live next to the highways or Metra and can attest that its a huge pain in the a** (or not)? Anyone bought in UV?

thx

[Lookout Kid]

I'm amazed by the progress on Halsted down there... It's actually a pretty walkable commercial strip now. But I guess a con to the area would be the greater risk of violent crime. I know the crime rate isn't crazy high around there, but there are definitely some major gang issues in the surrounding neighborhoods. And crime rates don't tell the story on how many people are actually out on the street. As an example Lakeview seems more dangerous than it is because people feel safe walking around at 2:00 a.m., so it's a target-rich environment. Uptown's crime rate is artificially low because the streets are deserted at night.

[SloopyJ]

I generally like the place, but wouldn't live there because of (a) lack of a nearby train station and (b) lack of a playground. The latter is the bane of too many newly planned areas (Central Station, anyone?). Green space does not equal usable playground space for kids. (Lakeshore East seems to get this right, as did Dearborn Park, where we reside). It's possible that there's a playground under construction somewhere in UV now, but I've never encountered one there.

[jiraiya]

if you like the area i would say try roosevelt square...along taylor street. it is not far from uv and will have a lot going for it. it is about a 10 min walk to the blue line. far enough away from the interstate that you dont get all the noise, but can get to the interstate in 5 min or less (traffic depending...which is much lighter than uv traffic). they are going to be building a decent sized park in the area, and there is already another small park (arrigo park) not very far away. the area is also safe.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by desibear

Pros:
- Has a suburb in the downtown feel to it
- More intimate green spaces (easy to watch kids)
- Surrounding area is now full of restaurants, etc..
- New construction
- Right next to the highways

Cons:
- Right next to the highways
- Right next to trains heading into downtown
- Isn't all that much cheaper than LP or LV (in fact, similar homes in LP or LV seem to be cheaper but are older/don't have the same square footage/don't have parking)


I'm not fully sold on University Village but am considering it. Anyone care to weigh in on it? Anyone live next to the highways or Metra and can attest that its a huge pain in the a** (or not)? Anyone bought in UV?

thx

I have a few friends down there, one directly south of the train tracks on Halsted, and I've never really noticed train noise. They're definately quieter than living within a block of the el. The Bulington Northern Line only stops at Halsted a few times a day, but if that fits into your schedule, you have a 3 minute commute into the loop. And the Halsted bus takes you right to the Blue Line. I don't really see how the highways would have much of a negative effect on University Village. Its not as if they're intersecting the neighborhood with most blocks overlooking 10 lanes of traffic.

There is a more noticeable police presence in the area (more walkable patrols) than if you are in certain northside neighborhoods, and perhaps due to that, it seems as safe as any neighborhood in the city, although I haven't bothered to check whether the crime stats bear that out.

Overall I think it's a nice neighborhood, despite having a little too much of a downtown-Naperville-in-Chicago feel to me.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by desibear

Pros:
- Has a suburb in the downtown feel to it

personally, i cant stand the increased suburbanization of the west side. an area that close to downtown should be be overrun by big box stores surrounded by parking lots.

[desibear]

This is fantastic feedback guys, so keep it coming. Specifically to:

Lookout Kid: I've never really ventured the area after dark but I will definitely look into it. It seems so crowded with condos now that its hard to imagine that things go by un-noticed but its worth a look

SloopyJ: Actually, its funny you should bring up the playground. This playground issue is the one that is attracting my wife to UV. We are looking at a townhome that is directly across from a toddler playground with no street in between the townhome and the playground. Theoretically, we should be able to watch him play from our living room window.

jiraiya: We did look at Roosevelt square but just didn't like the townhomes being shown there. The layout of the house seemed to be inefficient to both of us.

and, Jdiddy: I really appreciate your comment about the train noise not being a bother at your friend's place. If I could request a favor....could you check with your friend about whether he/she has ever been awoken by the train noise at night? Real experience coming from someone who is living right next to the train tracks is invaluable in this case. If this is a bother, no worries and I appreciate your feedback thus far.

viaChicago: I am ambivalent about the big box stores anywhere within downtown. My comment specifically had to do with the feel of a small playground surrounded by homes. To me that's suburbia and to find that right smack downtown is a positive for anyone with kids.

[desibear]

^^^^^^bump^^

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by desibear

viaChicago: I am ambivalent about the big box stores anywhere within downtown. My comment specifically had to do with the feel of a small playground surrounded by homes. To me that's suburbia and to find that right smack downtown is a positive for anyone with kids.

my comments were more directed at the thought that these types of developments should be higher density in general, including housing. probably another discussion for another time.

[tr0uble]

If you drive... congestion is a huge negative.