Studio Apartments for Young Professionals | Downtown Valpo’s “Youth Movement”
These days everyone in Valparaiso seems to be talking about the need for affordable housing and studio apartments in downtown Valpo for young professionals. And why not? Valpo’s future depends on attracting the brightest and best young people to sustain our remarkable culture. Currently, teachers, police officers, and restaurant employees are choosing to live elsewhere because of the lack of quality and affordable housing. The issue is so severe, that many restaurant owners threaten to close if they can’t find employees!
That all changed when Uptown East Apartments saw the need and remodeled their 3 bedroom luxury apartments and converted many of them into studio apartments, including studio one-bedroom apartments and deluxe 1 bedroom apartments.
The Next Generation Needs Studio Apartments and Luxury1-Bedroom Apartments
We think you’ll agree, a great city needs diversity in its workforce. To be called a great city, you need culture, remarkable restaurants, award-winning schools, and small shops. The list is endless. But ask any restaurant owner, or anyone else who is responsible for hiring young professionals, Valparaiso is facing a staffing crisis. Without quality people to fill these positions, Valpo is destined to become yet another bedroom community!
But this problem isn’t due to laziness, or because the next generation doesn’t want to live in Valpo. Just walk around Valparaiso on a gorgeous afternoon and you’ll see young professionals everywhere. Tomorrow’s best, brightest rockstars love Valpo! The issue is Valparaiso’s lack of affordable housing, especially in Valpo’s downtown where everyone wants to be.
Let’s face it, with every builder in Valpo targeting the affluent, the cost of living isn’t in the budget for a young professional, such as a police officer or teacher. The restaurants that helped put Valpo on the map can’t find cooks and servers. Valparaiso’s future depends on the next generation, which requires both studio apartments. and two and three-bedroom apartments. Fortunately, the owner of Uptown East has a long history of investing back in his hometown and its historic downtown!
Uptown East | 1 Bedroom Apartments with Affordable Luxury
Uptown East revitalized Valpo’s Downtown East
When Uptown East was first established, it was a sight for sore eyes. At the time Valparaiso’s downtown experienced its recent revitalization, but the city’s east side near Valparaiso University was a mess. VU was unhappy and it was a poor reception for visitors coming from the East. In addition, the streets were in decay, and the infrastructure was antiquated. It was in desperate need of some love.
One developer named Larry Gough was at the center of Valparaiso’s downtown fully revitalized, Gough believed the cornerstone of a healthy community is building affordable housing that attracts the next generation.
IPA’s Larry Gough
Gough was passionate about his community and would volunteer whenever initiatives would contribute to a healthy Valparaiso. He helped establish the Junior Triathlon and collaborated with others to create music and food festivals.
With Valparaiso’s downtown fully revitalization, Gough set his sights on revitalizing the city’s east side and area surrounding VU’s entrance. Gough and his IPA team developed Uptown East as a means of attracting students and businesses to the eastside corridor. It made sense! The luxurious apartment complex attracted affluent students to attend Valpo University. With world-class amenities, Uptown raised the bar and attracted new businesses and infrastructural improvements. The IPA model was both smart and sustainable.
Valpo’s Luxury Apartments was a Success until VU’s Policy Changed
Uptown East’s luxurious apartments were a huge success. Students from around the world were choosing VU over other elite schools from around the Midwest. The Uptown East Apartment complex demonstrated that if you create the right housing opportunities, Valpo was capable of attracting tomorrow’s rockstars.
The Uptown East Apartments came furnished with new kitchens, modern appliances, private balconies, and new furniture. Each unit was designed by interior decorators and the clubhouse had the accruements of a resort. However, the sustainable model relied on students’ ability to live off-campus.
With declining enrollment, then-President Mark Heckler of Valpo University made it mandatory that students live on campus until their Senior year. VU’s new policy blindsided Uptown East and forced them to find a new way to serve their community.
Uptown Finds New Meaning While Helping Old Friends
Gough helped bring the community together. This Photo was shot from IPA’s Downtown Office
Valpo’s Uptown Fights
With VU’s new policy, Uptown East Apartments needed to find a new business model to sustain itself. Fortunately, the solution would benefit the same restaurant friends that Gough worked with years earlier to revitalize Valpo’s downtown.
The idea may have never developed if Uptown East wasn’t embedded in Valpo’s community. Over the years, Uptown East management was directed to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the other businesses in the community. Sponsorship wasn’t enough for Larry Gough’s company. He expected his managers to become part of the organizations they supported. Uptown became a valued member of the Valpo Restaurant Group Planning Committee.
It was at one of the Valpo Restaurant meetings that the chefs discussed the staffing crisis at each restaurant. It was agreed that without quality studio apartments for staff and employees, the restaurants would continue their struggle to find the right people to maintain the high-level of service that set Valpo apart. It wasn’t enough to have affordable housing. Valpo would need to give them the same quality amenities they could get elsewhere.
A Studio 1 Bedroom Apartment with 365 Days of the “Good Life”
“Help our cooks and servers find affordable housing!”
-Don Quijote’s Chef Carlos Rivero
According to Chef Carlos Rivero of Don Quijote, “Restaurant owners were near their breaking point. It became evident that Valparaiso’s housing opportunities were priced above the budgets of a restaurant’s cooks, servers, and other employees.
Local developers in downtown Valpo were focusing on building townhomes for the affluent. Most young professionals were without options and the staffing issue escalated from a problem to a crisis. Rivero, Valpo’s longest-running restaurant, was considering closing his 45-year-old Spanish Restaurant.
Radius-Valpo helped make Valpo a destination with remarkable service. The next generation needs affordable housing!
That’s when Gough and Uptown East found a win-win solution! The apartment complex had four buildings set up for luxury. By converting two of the buildings from 2-bedroom apartments and 3-bedroom apartments into studio apartments and 1-bedroom apartments, they could pivot to an apartments for young professionals. With luxurious amenities within Uptown’s community and only a few blocks from downtown Valpo’s Central Park and restaurants, the studio apartments would fit the needs of Valpo’s future rockstars.
For more reading, check out our last blog, Finally! One-Bedroom Apartments in Downtown Valpo!
Take a Tour of 1 or 2-Bedroom Apartments and a Free Bottle of Wine from Don Q
Chris Pavlou of Radius & Chef Carlos of Don Quijote partners with Uptown East
Take a Tour of the studio 1-Bedroom and 2/3 Bedroom Apartments and Experience Valpo’s Sandwich City next to Central Park (blocks away)
Schedule Your Tour of Downtown Valparaiso’s One-Bedroom Apartments today!
Take a Tour of Uptown East and Enjoy a Free Bottle of Wine from Don Q!
Valpo Restaurants partner with Uptown East
Radius-Valpo and Sandwich City owner Chris Pavlou could not be more excited by Uptown East’s commitment to offering next-generation citizens quality studio apartments. According to Pavlou, “This is a real game-changer. We’ve always relied on getting young professionals to maintain our high service standards. We’ve partnered with Uptown East for fundraisers, festivals, and events. They are legit.”
To show our support, we’ve developed seven summer specials to cross-promote Uptown East’s new studio apartments and 2-bedroom homes for young professionals. But it gets better! Take a tour of Uptown East, and you’ll receive a bottle of wine from Don Quijote. Pavlou and his friend, Carlos of Don Quijote, believe the future of Valparaiso relies on quality housing for their staff. “If Valpo can’t create affordable living, we will lose quality people to other communities.
Pavlou recommends that people who take the tour walk from Uptown East Apartments to downtown for an evening of fun. It’s part of the Uptown lifestyle! With so many fun things to do, we think it makes Uptown East and Valparaiso one of Northwest Indiana’s best places to live.
SCHEDULE TOUR & FREE BOTTLE OF WINE
Valpo’s Best Lease Deal | Ask for the Apartment 2
Valpo’s Best Lease Deal is called “Apartment 2.” Currently, 2-bedroom Apartments come with a $500 Credit Card as a Signing Bonus.
$500 Gift Card with 2- Bedroom Housing Lease!
As a member/partner of Valpo Restaurants, Uptown East partners with Valpo’s community for mutual win-win. The $500 Credit Card allows Uptown Residents to receive a little bonus cash. The Apartment 2 Bonus also benefits local businesses by encouraging residents to use the bonus at the Valparaiso restaurants.
For Uptown East’s Apartment 2 Bonus, the future resident is rewarded a $500* gift card when they Sign a 13-16 month lease & move in within the next 45 days. Hurry, this incentive is limited to room availability or expires at month’s end…..or whichever comes first!
The Benefits of 2-Bedroom Apartments to Valpo’s Economy!
1) Attract and Retain Skilled Young Professionals: One-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments help Valparaiso’s business community retain employees in vital sectors. When workers can live near their workplaces, they are more likely to stay in their jobs longer, reducing turnover and ensuring the stability of essential services.
2) Economic Growth: Accessible 1-Bedroom and 2-bedroom housing for Valpo’s workforce supports economic growth by attracting and retaining diverse workers. It helps businesses recruit talent, enhances productivity, and sustains local industries.
3) Community Vibrancy: Affordable housing for young professionals promotes a diverse and inclusive community by providing housing opportunities for individuals from various income levels. It contributes to social cohesion, fosters a sense of belonging, and promotes interaction among people from different backgrounds.
4) Reduced Commute Times and Environmental Impact: When workers can live near their workplaces, commute times are reduced, resulting in less traffic congestion and lower carbon emissions. This benefits both individuals and the environment.
5) Young Professionals eat out, spend, and play more. The next generation is essential for a brighter tomorrow!
Schedule Your Tour of Downtown Valparaiso’s One-Bedroom Apartments today!
SCHEDULE TOUR & FREE SANDWICH (link)
LEASE SPECIAL BONUS | ASK FOR THE “APARTMENT 2”
For Uptown East’s Specials, you’ll be rewarded a $1000* gift card when you Sign a 13-16 month lease & move in within the next 45 days for a $1000 gift card. Hurry, this incentive is limited to room availability or expires at month’s end…..or whichever comes first!
Free Wine Bottle with Tour expires at the end of the month of Publication date. Void where prohibited. Not redeemable for cash. subject to Uptown discretion. No prior tours.
Written by Jim Jano Janesheski
JANO-DIGITAL MARKETING
