Evanston’s skyline got a new addition while Northwestern students were away for Winter Break.

The Optima Horizons condominium project at 1800 Sherman Ave. has now been built to the eighth floor. Construction of the exterior is beginning, and Tod Desmarais, vice president of Optima, Inc., said the first five floors will be done in March.

Work on the plumbing and wiring continues in the interior, Desmarais said.

The 16-story building will contain 248 condominiums with parking and retail on the ground level facing Clark Street and Benson Avenue, said Desmarais. One-, two- and three-bedroom condos are available for sale, ranging from one-bedroom condos at $175,000 to three-bedroom condos at $500,000. Combination units, which can merge two or more condos together, are also available for up to $800,000, he said.

In addition to housing and parking, the building also will have a lounge, swimming pool and party room on the ground floor, Desmarais said. A series of terraces, both private and open to the whole building, is planned for the fifth level.

“The central layout of the building creates a fairly open space,” he said.

Optima expects the building to be completed by May, but not everybody has welcomed it. Neighborhood residents attempted to topple the project last spring, and Evanston business managers have mixed opinions of Optima Horizons’ impact on the community and on their businesses.

Dean Holden, general manager of Buffalo Joe’s at 812 Clark St., said he was optimistic about the new revenue Optima residents would bring to the city.

“Hopefully they’ll lower the taxes, but I doubt that with Northwestern not paying taxes,” Holden said.

Holden said Evanston’s market already is saturated with empty buildings and spaces throughout the city.

“I don’t think Evanston needs to have any more condos,” Holden said. “They’ve got all these that aren’t sold yet.”

But Dennis Salonga, the vice president of marketing and training for Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, 824 Clark St., said he thinks the new Optima building will be good for his restaurant and will bring in more customers.

“I always think of progress as a positive thing,” Salonga said. “This is a sign of progress and positive development.”

Desmarais said Optima will open a garage in March for both the building’s residents and the office building next door. He said residents will only start to move into the condominiums in May.

Plans for the Optima building were proposed in December 2002, and construction began in May 2003, after the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals denied an Evanston resident’s appeal to stop development.

Optima originally planned to build a 36-story building but was forced to reconsider its plans after residents complained.

Doraine Anderson, a resident of Sherman Gardens apartment complex, claimed last April that Optima Horizons would cover two zoning lots instead of one. Because of zoning laws, Optima would have been forced to reduce the building’s size.

Neighborhood residents also complained that the new building would affect their view and increase traffic in the area.

But Desmarais said Optima Horizons will bring in new businesses and opportunities, as well as increase support for existing retail.

“It’s going to continue to add to the vitality and strength of the downtown,” Desmarais said.

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“It’s going to continue to add to the vitality and strength of the downtown.”

Tod Desmarais, vice president of Optima Construction

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Above, a photo shows the recent progress on the Optima Horizons condominium project at 1800 Sherman Ave. Left, a drawing from the builder portrays how the 16-story, 248-unit building should appear when it is finished in May.

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kelvin ma/the daily northwestern