The Move: Your Questions, Answered

Questions? We have (many) of the answers, and the rest, we’ll keep you updated on! Have a question that isn’t addressed here? Contact us.

The Move

WHY ARE WE MOVING AND HOW IS THIS GOING TO BENEFIT OUR MEMBERS? The Association’s lease at 200 S. Michigan will expire in February 2017. C.A.R. has been at 200 S. Michigan for almost eleven years. In focusing on the future and how we can better serve our members, students and staff, the Board of Directors concluded that the move to 430 N. Michigan will allow us to better leverage the resources provided by the National Association of REALTORS®, as well as build out a space to better suit our needs. WHY DID WE CHOOSE A DOWNTOWN LOCATION? The downtown area allows for ready availability of parking, public transportation and amenities for our members, students and staff. While this location is near the majority of our members who are located downtown and on the near north side, it also provides many transportation options for all of our members. WHY DID WE NOT DEVELOP/BUILD OUR OWN FACILITY? After a careful analysis of our development vs leasing options, the move to 430 N. Michigan was decided to be the more financially-sound and fiscally responsible choice for an Association of our size and location. WILL WE BE OPENING BRANCH OFFICES SO MEMBERS DON’T NEED TO TRAVEL “DOWNTOWN?” That’s an item that the Board of Directors looks at from time to time based on member needs. At this time, branch offices aren’t planned. We will be continuing and expanding our C.A.R. to You program in which we bring C.A.R. education, member products and services to your office. Click here for more information. WHY RELOCATE IN DECEMBER? We believe that this will ensure the least amount of interruption to our business and classes. WHO MADE THIS DECISION?  WHAT WAS YOUR PROCESS? You can read about our process here. WHO WAS YOUR TENANT REPRESENTATIVE AND HOW WERE THEY SELECTED? Our tenant representative was REALTOR® members SVN Chicago Commercial. Read about the selection process here. WHO IS YOUR DESIGN FIRM?  WHO IS YOUR PROJECT MANAGER?  WHO IS YOUR FURNITURE DISTRIBUTOR AND/OR MANUFACTURER? We are working with Jones Lang LaSalle as project manager, Gensler as the design firm of record and Henricksen as the furniture distributor. CAN I RENT OUT SPACE AT THIS NEW LOCATION FOR FUNCTIONS? Yes! For more information, please click here. WILL BUSINESS AND CLASSES BE SUSPENDED DURING THE MOVE? We will do what we can to ensure the least amount of interruption to our operations and classes. We will keep you informed as developments arise.  

Transportation

WHAT ARE MY PUBLIC TRANSIT OPTIONS NEAR 430 N. MICHIGAN? There are many public transit options available including bus and el stops nearby. We recommend you map your trip to find transit options that best fit you. Map Your Route Bus routes that drop off directly in front of the Wrigley Building adjacent to our office space on Michigan Avenue include 2, 3, 26, 29, 65, 120, 121, 143, 146, 147, 148, 151, 157. Additional bus lines are in the area within a few blocks walk. Nearby CTA stations include:
  • State & Lake: Brown, Orange, Purple, Green, Pink Lines
    • 9 minute walk, 0.4 miles
  • Grand: Red Line
    • 8 minute walk, 0.3 miles
  • Clark & Lake: Blue, Green, Pink, Orange, Brown, Purple Lines
    • 13 minute walk, 0.6 miles
Nearby Metra stations include:
  • Millennium Station: SSL, ME Lines
    • 10 minute walk, 0.4 miles
  • Ogilvie Transportation Center: UP-W, UP-NW, UP-N
    • 30 minute walk, 1.4 miles
  • Union Station: BNSF, MD-N, NCS, SWS, MD-W, HC
    • 34 minute walk, 1.6 miles
WHAT PARKING IS NEAR 430 NORTH MICHIGAN AND WILL THERE BE DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE? We will have discounted parking with the AMA Garage at 401 N State Street, the back entrance of which is on Wabash next to the Dunkin Donuts across the street from the Trump Tower.
  • Distance to C.A.R.’s offices: 0.2 miles, 422 steps, 4 minute walk
  • Total number of spaces: 890
The process for discounted parking will be as follows:
  • Guest will pull an entry ticket from the parking garage gate and park their car.
  • A.R. will provide guest a validation “chaser” ticket before the guest returns to their vehicle.
  • Upon returning to the garage, the guest will go to the second floor lobby and insert their entry ticket into the pay station. The normal price of parking will appear, and the guest will then insert the “chaser” ticket into the machine to reduce the parking charge to $16. Guest will be able to pay the fee in cash or by credit card. Once payment is accepted, a validated ticket will be dispensed from the pay station to be used at the garage exit.
  • The guest will insert the paid/validated ticket into the reader at the garage exit. The gate will raise and the guest will be able to exit the garage in their vehicle.
Additional parking can be found at the addresses below, but C.A.R. will not be able to give a discount if you park at these locations:
  • 614 N St. Clair
    • Total number of spaces: 186
    • Distance: 0.3 miles, 633 steps,  6 minute walk
  • 240 E Illinois (Cityfront Plaza)
    • Total number of spaces: 450
    • Distance: 0.2 miles, 430 steps, 5 minute walk
We also recommend using a parking app like SpotHero if you are interested in parking downtown and reserving a space ahead of time.

Finances

HOW WILL WE PAY FOR THIS? AND WILL DUES INCREASE? Long-term planning is part of our financial strategy. This includes re-evaluation of our facilities every ten years. We have prudently invested your dues dollars over the past ten years for this anticipated expense and guarantee that any future dues or class fee increases will not be a result of this move.  

Improvements/Enhancements

WHAT ENHANCEMENTS CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE CLASSROOMS? We are focused on designing an office for the future, with cutting-edge technology. We know in today’s climate, being connected and able to work while at our offices is imperative to your business. We have made plans to allow for improved and expanded Wi-Fi connectivity, cell phone signals for all major providers, LED screens and improved A/V in classrooms. Our focus is to keep you connected at all times. WILL C.A.R.’S REALTORS® REAL ESTATE SCHOOL BE AT THE NEW LOCATION? Yes! We are excited for our over 8,000 students to be beneficiaries of the new and improved classroom experience. We anticipate only a minor interruption in business during the transition. WILL THERE BE MEMBER AREAS TO GET OUR WORK DONE AT C.A.R.’S OFFICES? Yes! We want to be a resource for our members, and we know that you are in work mode, even when you aren’t in your office. To assist you, we will have flexible spaces to be used for a variety of purposes, including “touch down” stations for our members to utilize. You’ll be able to pay your bill, take a class, attend your committee meetings and get your work done. WHAT LUNCH, COFFEE AND SNACK SHOPS ARE NEARBY? There are many food options available nearby: Billy Goat Tavern, Starbucks, Argo Tea, The Purple Pig, Corner Bakery, Bandera, Howells & Hood, to name a few, as well as the food court at the Shops at North Bridge (Nordstrom – 520 N Michigan) which includes: Farmer’s Fridge, Jimmy John’s, Lao Sze Chuan, Mezza Mediterranean Grill, Panda Express, Potbelly and Sbarro. For more restaurant information, we recommend searching on Yelp.