The Illiana apartment community in downtown Whiting celebrated its grand opening Wednesday afternoon as community members, partners, and developers flocked to the building’s 119th Street location.
“I really appreciate all the help we’ve had from Mayor Joe Stahura and the City of Whiting throughout this project,” said Mike Micka, Vice President of Development for developer Holladay Properties. “This was a partnership with the City. They had the vision and they acquired this site and got it ready for development, and without that vision we wouldn’t be here today.”
“Mike and Holladay have been great to work with,” Mayor Stahura said. “Our idea was to create a master plan of development for the City and this is the first phase of that. Hopefully we can get the next stage going and begin additional construction to keep this development going through the east end of town. We wanted to get this done efficiently and effectively, and at the end of the day, we figured that out and now we have this great commercial and residential space.”
Dr. Amy McCormack, President of Calumet College of St. Joseph (CCSJ), also attended the grand opening, along with several members of the CCSJ staff. Through a partnership with The Illiana, the college has secured a group of 12 rooms in the complex for students. With many students living in the local community and attending school just half a mile down the block, The Illianaserves as a much-anticipated resource for CCSJ and a great benefit to student life.
“This is a really exciting time for CCSJ, as this is our first entry into residential housing,” McCormack said. “When I started here three years ago one of my goals was to build resident halls and enter into real estate development for the college. After a year and a half of conversations, negotiations, and working with our team and Holladay’s team, that is now something we can bring to the table.”
The Illiana’s centralized location makes it highly desirable for all potential residents. Current resident and CCSJ sophomore Daveyon Blacknell struggled to commute to class last year, but his apartment at The Illiana has made that a thing of his past.
“The location is probably the best thing about this building,” Blacknell said. “It’s made getting to school so much easier for me because it turned what used to be at least a 30-minute drive into a short walk down the street. Every morning I jog to the beach which is very peaceful and gives me a great start to the day. I also like that it’s down the street from a lot of activities and restaurants downtown.”
“This has been such a rewarding experience for me personally, but even more so for our students,” McCormack said. “To be able to provide such a high-quality residential experience for our student body is really a game changer for us. I’m really excited about the location, and the apartments are just beautiful.”
If a high-quality residential experience is what renters seek, then The Illiana certainly fits the bill. Each unit features granite countertops, 9-foot ceilings, kitchen islands, private balconies, two beds and two baths, one of which is a master bedroom with an ensuite bath.
“We’ve got 32 units here total with three different floorplans: the Whihala, the Marquette, and the Marina,” said Residential Senior Property Manager for Holladay Properties, Shasta Kreighbaum. “The Whihala is the biggest layout we have at 962 square feet and those filled up pretty quickly, but we do still have a few units open for anyone interested. The Marquette is our midsize at 905 square feet and the Marina is our smallest unit at 897 square feet.”
Unit price ranges from $1,500 to $1,600 per month depending on unit size and location by floor, and leases extend for either six months or 12 months. A nonrefundable tenant application fee of $50 also applies.
For more information on The Illiana or to inquire about a unit, visit https://www.theilliana.com/ or call (219)254-2942.
