Beach life
Author(s): Celeste Busk Date: August 29, 2003 Page: 1; s Section: News
Shelter
What: Beachwalk Resort Community in Michigan City, Ind.
Developer: Beachwalk Builders LLC.
For vacation rentals: (219) 879-7874.
For lot purchase: Sheridan Beach Realty Group, Michigan City, 219-873 1855.
More information: www.beachwalkresort.com.
Surf, sand and cottage-style homes with big, breezy porches in a palette of pastels mark the Beachwalk Resort Community, a development in Michigan City, Ind.
Whether you're looking to rent or buy a get-away home on prime beachfront property, there are plenty of options available.
The Indiana Dunes development, only an hour's drive or so from Chicago, features 1-bedroom cottages to large 6-bedroom homes amid a host of development amenities--swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, fishing pond, cafe and putting green.
Of course, the main attraction is Lake Michigan. "We have one of the nicest, flattest and most beautiful beaches in all of Lake Michigan," said Thomas Moss, general partner for Beachwalk Builders LLC, the development company.
Buyers can purchase a lot to develop. "We have 150 sites; 120 are spoken for or are built on," said Michael Conner, managing broker for Sheridan Beach Realty Group in Michigan City. The company is marketing the sites. The remaining sites are available for purchase for $100,000 to $200,000.
"If you buy a lot, you can have any builder build a home, as long as it's approved by the developers," Conner said. "We also have two new-construction homes for sale that have been rented but never owner-occupied. They're priced at $460,000 to $550,000."
Moss said the development company has "a lot more land to be developed in the future."
Beachwalk Resort Community also features an innovative 700-foot walkway that connects its homes to the beach and is elevated to prevent damage to the dunes, including its cacti and other rare plants.
Many homes have quaint, white picket fences.
"All of the frame homes are painted brighter than traditional homes," Moss said. "We have a lot of pastel colors. And, most of the homes have big, wrap-around screened-in porches."
Houses at Beachwalk are set close to the street to permit neighbors to talk with one another from their front porches. The street scene is all important: the width of the streets, the setbacks, shoulder treatment, tree canopy, street lights and the height of facades of the homes are carefully considered to create an outdoor "room" of the street, Moss said.
"Right now you can buy or rent," Moss said. "We have 150 homes in this first phase, and half the owners do not rent out their homes. The other half rent them for one to two weeks at a time."
Those looking to rent a home for a week during the summer, the peak season, can expect to pay $800 for a 1-bedroom guest house to $2,500 for a large home that sleeps five, Moss said.
Other attractions include being located only minutes from the amenities of Michigan City--shops, restaurants, recreational activities, grocery stores and businesses--as well as the South Shore commuter rail line to Chicago.
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