As the sun shined brightly down at 256 Franklin St., Valparaiso on Tuesday, community leaders, city officials, and directors from both Chester, Inc., and Wayne Enterprises gathered to host a groundbreaking to celebrate the start of a new residential and commercial facility. The groundbreaking provided an overview of what the new location will bring to residents and businesses of Valparaiso and its surrounding communities.
The new facility, Vale View, is being built by Chester, Inc., whose architectural staff also designed the four-story hybrid building. “The ultimate outcome of the project is to assist in creating inimitable residential facilities as well as providing commercial spaces for downtown Valparaiso,” said Rich Shields, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Chester, Inc. “Chester, Inc. and Wayne Enterprises are creating a special partnership to make a great facility that will provide the community an opportunity for residents and businesses alike to engage in the downtown atmosphere.”
Vale View will be sectioned into two main areas, with the top three floors devoted to residential living and the first floor dedicated for commercial use. The new location will extend more than 37,000 square feet and feature underground parking, a private gym, and an elevator. Wayne Enterprises aims to create a more modern living space by offering modern amenities to tenants. In-unit amenities include a washer and dryer, built-in gas grills, and more.
Owned and managed by a fourth generation Valparaiso native, Wayne Enterprises focuses on increasing the value of its properties while striving to invest in and positively impact the Valparaiso community into the future.
“We want to build a project that has value to our company, but also creates value to the entirety of the Valparaiso area,” said Matthew Welter, CEO of Wayne Enterprises. “We’re aiming to allow our tenants to be able to personalize their spaces and to sign for longer-term leases so people will be able to know each other in the building and have a sense of a small community within their surroundings.”
Community members who pre-lease a space within Vale View are able to customize certain décor such as paint color, countertop finishes, flooring, and more, within the templates and base plans provided.
“The two things I care most about are the health of the buildings and the happiness of the tenants, and they always go hand-in-hand with each other, which is why we like to provide them with some opportunity to truly make the space their own,” Welter said.
“This development is really important because it’s part of the ladder stages of our downtown renaissance development plan which calls for high-density housing in the heart of downtown. Valparaiso’s downtown is a very vibrant, fun place and more and more people want to be around the area. This project is one of the seminal projects we have and it’s going to be a great place for people to live and do business. We are very excited and thankful for the Welters making another investment in our city,” said Jon Costas, Mayor of Valparaiso.
Vale View is projected to add a great deal to the Valparaiso community and its growing and lively downtown atmosphere. Construction is expected to finish for commercial occupancy by the end of 2019, and residential occupancy construction is projected to be complete around early 2020.
For more information about pre-leasing at Vale View, visit wevalpo.com. For further inquiries about the developmental work Chester, Inc. does within the Region, visit chesterinc.com. Chester, Inc., is structured into three primary divisions: Architectural and Construction, Information Technologies, and Agricultural Systems.
