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FRINGE BENEFIT

Ditch urban living for a more active lifestyle in Chicago’s outskirts

By Michelle Dellinger

Although COVID has disrupted almost every aspect of life, one change has been rather popular among those with tech-based careers: Goodbye Metra, hello home office. As corporate digs in the city give way to work-from-home paradigms, commute times disappear from the domestic equation. If open space and a more active, outdoor lifestyle is on your 2020 bucket list, here are three Illinois communities to consider:

GRAND RESERVE Yorkville

The 1,037 acres of this planned community—which boasts a nine-acre aquatic center and bike trails throughout—are nestled within Yorkville’s abundant attractions. Go rafting at Marge Cline’s Whitewater Course or launch a kayak from Saw Wee Kee Park along the Fox River (shown). The little ones will love a season pass to Raging Waves Water Park while parents will crave an affordable Play and Practice membership at Blackberry Oaks Golf Course and the Chad Johansen Golf Academy. Need more adventure? Check out the BMX tracks at Bristol Station Park or zipline through Rotary Park.

LIBERTY GREEN Bolingbrook

Adjacent to Bolingbrook Golf Club is a new active adult community (55+) that features single-family ranch homes. All homeowners have social memberships to the club, giving them access to the 76,000-square-foot clubhouse, golf shop, driving range and golf academy, restaurant, fitness center, and meeting areas (a.k.a. your new work conference room). “As boomers continue to work longer,” says Pulte’s Rob Getz, “the goal is to provide more options with easy access to recreational facilities close to job, family, and social interests.”

LAKE HOLIDAY Somonauk

If you’ve always wanted a lake house but can’t swing a second mortgage, Lake Holiday might be the answer. This residential community surrounding a 328-acre manmade lake could be your one-and-done—it’s less than an hour from Naperville and 60 miles from the city. A property owners association manages over eight miles of shoreline— including 12 picturesque coves and three beaches—for its private membership of single-family homeowners. “The majority of our buyers come from Naperville,” says broker Nikki Lorenzen, a former resident who now manages Lake Holiday Homes. “We’d welcome some new faces!”