Further details and an updated timeline have been revealed for the upcoming mixed-use development at 121 W Michigan Boulevard in Michigan City, Indiana. The 32,000-person city is located around 60 miles from The Loop, but is accessible via the South Shore Line and sits just over the boundary of the greater metropolitan area.
Site context plan, Amtrak station (teal) – South Shore Line station (orange) via Google Maps
Site plan of SoLa Michigan City by Koo Architects
Dubbed SoLa, or South of the Lake, the two-structure project is being developed by local Sterling Bay alums and Farpoint Development, with Chicago-based firm KOO Architects working on its design. Late 2023 we reported on its groundbreaking as we expanded our coverage to the metro area, however shovels never hit the ground as it was delayed to 2025.
Rendering of SoLa pool deck by KOO Architecture
Rendering of SoLa condos (left) and hotel (right) by KOO Architecture
We now have a few more details on the project. Occupying a whole city block, the east side of the property will be home to a new 14-story hotel structure with a large cut out in the middle. We previously covered that it would hold 235 rooms split between two Wyndham brands, the room count has remained the same but Wyndham will no longer be the operator.
Rendering of SoLa condos by KOO Architecture
Rendering of SoLa condos by KOO Architecture
The change in hotel brand may be a reason for its construction delay, but things are back on track as a new sales center opened in February for the 188 condominiums which also includes 17 townhomes. Since then, 28 units have already been sold according to Crain’s. The condos’ prices range from $400,000 to $1.2 million, a big change for the local market.
Rendering of SoLa condos (right) and hotel (left) by KOO Architecture
Both buildings will share a 396-vehicle parking garage and 20,400 of retail space, including a rooftop space at the hotel. The $280 million project is expected to commence construction by late June and be completed 2027. It joins other nearby projects including 11th Street Central, South Shore Line’s double tracking, and potential closure of the lakefront coal power plant.
The project’s website can be found here.
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Lmao – it must be REALLY bad for Development coverage when Chicago YIMBY is posting a project 60 miles away in another state.
I get this could be considered “Chicagoland” or the “Chicago Metro” subjectively. But for God sakes, this is a first for me. I can’t ever recall a time you guys have made an article covering something in Indiana or at the very least – this far away. And I am a frequent visitor here.
It’s happened a couple of times in the past over the years I think
Hey C!
Things are solid in the Chicago market, we actually covered this same project when it originally broke ground in 2023 as part of a larger set of developments in Michigan City set to attract Chicagoans. Plus with the double tracking of the South Shore Line, it only takes an hour on train to reach Michigan City. We also have series called Sister Cities where we cover major projects in surrounding Midwestern/Great Plains cities, showing the resilience of the area.
I do try to cover a bit beyond Chicagoland, but open to suggestions!
Unlike Mr. Sourpuss, I for one welcome these articles about interesting urban developments taking place in any of the cities in our larger neighborhod of the southern end of Lake Michigan!
M.City, Gary, Evanston, Waukegan, Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee – all fair game IMO.
Please disregard the whiner.
I agree. There is a lot of exciting development happening outside of the City limits. Interest aside, what happens in Michigan City also affects the City. It’s exciting to see more development along the South Shore Line. I hope that one day we will see vacationers traveling as much here as they do to Door County.
This is the city’s fourth-ish project. They covered the train tracks being relocated because they connect DIRECTLY TO CHICAGO. They covered two pretty significant residential projects. (this being one of them)
I greatly appreciate this article because I have family in Long Beach, and New Buffalo is a summer favorite.
The crazy thing is you had zero prerequisites not to have to write anything on this article. The title was pretty straightforward. But instead, you choose to throw in a cheeky dig to prove some point that has yet to be made. Your statement is unfactual and blatantly rude.
For those concerned about the Chicago construction market, I promise you, SEVERAL things are in the upcoming pipeline. I work at a subcontracting firm and we have been awarded/are competing to win several high-rise projects that have been “asleep/dormant” the past couple of years. Lots of cool exciting highrises for West Loop, South Loop, River North. Give it another month or two, and a lot of these project will be made public.
Are you for real about this?! Don’t get my hopes up!!!
Rather than keeping us in suspense for a month or two, maybe you could anonymously repost and tell us which projects you’re referring to?