Building features extensive biophilic design and one-of-a-kind seven-story landscaped atrium

Design-driven real estate development firm Optima, Inc. today announced the grand opening of its 198-unit Optima Lakeview® luxury rental apartment building at 3478 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, featuring the region’s first year-round rooftop pool.

Optima CEO and Founder David Hovey Sr., FAIA, designed Optima Lakeview as a one-of-a-kind luxury apartment community, from its modern exterior – an elegant and sophisticated palette of warm-toned exterior materials, including transparent bronze glass and rich, dark brick, to complement the architecture of the surrounding neighborhood – to its striking interior, which includes a seven-story atrium that runs through the core of the building and features vertical landscaping to flood the space with natural light and foliage.

“We’re excited to bring to market Optima Lakeview, a development as vibrant and dynamic as the surrounding Lakeview neighborhood for which it’s named,” said David Hovey Jr., AIA, president, COO and principal architect of Optima.

Currently 35% leased, Optima Lakeview offers one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans with high-end finishes and smart home technology. Private balconies or terraces are per plan. Optima Lakeview’s units average a spacious 1,053 square feet to give residents more flexibility to accommodate a dedicated space for a home office, bar, children’s play area or pet. Custom wardrobes with built-in shelves and drawers for clothes and storage rather than traditional walled-off closets bring in more natural light. Rents start at $2,500 per month.

Optima Lakeview residents will experience the curated property management service offered by Optima, which include a number of unique programs. For example, Optimized Service® offers contact-free in-home package delivery, housekeeping services, on-site room service, fitness programming and a virtual personal assistant, among other offerings, while Optima Connect® customizes exclusive benefits and discounts for residents at local businesses.

“Lakeview residents who watched the building take shape were among the first to sign a lease with a majority saying the primary reasons were our architectural design, amenity package that spans 40,000 square feet, resident programming and convenient location – all of which allow them to maintain a healthy lifestyle and active social life without leaving a neighborhood they love,” Hovey added. 

Emphasizing wellness, fresh air and outdoor space, Optima designed the building with setbacks that provide multiple residences with private outdoor landscaped terraces, complete with trees, built-in grills and fire pits. Terraces range from 67 to about 1,600 square feet.

Access to the outdoors year-round also extends to the building’s common areas, where a rooftop sky deck offering views of Lake Michigan, Wrigley Field and the Chicago skyline is equipped with fire tables and heaters suitable for Chicago’s colder climate. The 35-by-25-foot rooftop pool will stay heated and swimmable year-round. When not taking advantage of the heated pool, Optima Lakeview residents can use the rooftop’s many other outdoor amenities, including a spa, theater, lounge seating and a dozen grills and kitchen stations. The rooftop also includes a glass-enclosed party room complete with TV, various seating arrangements and a full chef’s kitchen. Residents’ pets can enjoy the outdoors, too, as a few floors down is the building’s 2,000-square-foot heated dog park.

Inside, most of Optima Lakeview’s amenities are connected by the seven-story atrium that runs through the building’s core and is topped by a skylight, allowing natural light to flood the building’s interior. Planters have been strategically placed on various floors surrounding the atrium, which will create a hanging garden when the plants mature. 

Near the building’s entrance is an indoor basketball/pickleball court, sports lounge and golf simulator, all of which are flanked by street-level windows for additional light. Upstairs is a fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment, yoga/stretching room, sauna, pet spa, children’s play area with an emphasis on active gross motor play, residents’ club, game room and chef’s kitchen.

For those working from home, Optima Lakeview features two wired conference spaces and a business center, as well as several indoor and outdoor seating areas and multiple technology providers from which residents can choose. Reliable connectivity is a hallmark of Optima Lakeview, as the building recently became the first North American residential development to earn WiredScore® Gold Rating for Digital Connectivity. Each residence also comes with smart home technology, including keyless unit entry and smart thermostats and lights.

Previously home to a shuttered Treasure Island Foods grocery store, Optima Lakeview has returned the site to a neighborhood asset that will include 14,000 square feet of street-level retail.

Throughout the building, Chicago-inspired artwork by artist Ellison Keomaka adds pops of color and visual interest. Keomaka’s bold and experimental artwork is a natural match for Optima Lakeview’s creative design, noted Hovey, who also features the artist’s work prominently at Optima Kierland Center in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Optima Lakeview is a transit-oriented development, offering quick access to numerous CTA bus routes and train lines that offer local and express routes to downtown Chicago. Residents may also use one of the building’s 208 bicycles spaces, or one of the 94 fully enclosed parking spaces at grade level, including six electric vehicle charging stations.

Cultural and recreational opportunities are just steps from the building’s front door, including Lake Michigan and popular restaurants, bars, theatres and shopping. Residents are near Wrigley Field and adjacent Gallagher Way, which hosts year-round attractions, including movie nights, an outdoor fitness series, live music and open-air markets; the scenic Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course; Waveland tennis courts and softball fields; Belmont Harbor; and the Lakefront Trail, which offers miles of walking, jogging or biking along Lake Michigan.  

For more information, visit optimalakeview.com.

About Optima, Inc.:

Optima, Inc. is a privately held, design-driven real estate development firm with offices in Illinois and Arizona. For more than 40 years, Optima has been developing, designing, building, marketing and managing striking urban and suburban luxury residential communities. From the beginning, Optima aimed to reinvent housing by integrating the functions involved in new construction within one company. Optima controls and executes every aspect of the process in-house – development, design, construction, sales and management – for a dynamic system that offers greater focus and fluidity. Optima is committed to delivering extraordinary living through design, innovation, sustainability and management. The result has been the creation of over 40 communities in Arizona and Illinois, along with being nationally recognized with over 75 prestigious awards. In 2021, Optima was named AIA Chicago Firm of the Year as well as a Crain’s Best Places to Work for the second year in a row. Learn more at Optima, Inc.