For Immediate Release
December 14, 2007
For More Information:
Larry Schaffel/PR Director
Tricia Van Horn/VP Marketing
312/642-8869
An efficient, economical and environmentally-friendly means of motoring around town is a new amenity being offered to residents and neighbors of Lakeshore East, the urban village rising near the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River.
I-GO is a membership car-sharing service that provides members with access to a vehicle on an hourly basis. It is being offered to
Lakeshore East residents and neighbors by The Lancaster Condominium board of directors in tandem with the non-profit I-GO Car Sharing Service and is being incorporated into the Magellan Rewards program.
Magellan Rewards is provided by Lakeshore East developer Magellan Development Group as an exclusive incentive program that provides owners access to the best Chicago has to offer, from entertainment, health & fitness, in-home services, private promotions and special events.
“We are excited about this new service because it makes downtown Chicago that much more livable and affordable,” explained Vanessa Casciano, Lakeshore East community relations director. “And it is also environmentally-friendly because all I-GO cars are low-emission vehicles, so car-sharing helps ease traffic congestion and reduces pollution.”
Here’s how it works.
Individuals take out memberships for a one-time fee and then they are able to reserve it in advance for as long as they wish. A 2007 Toyota Matrix will be available on a 24-hour basis in an indoor ground level parking space at The Lancaster, the first condominium tower developed by Magellan on the east end of Lakeshore East. The space has been provided by The Lancaster board and its Go Green committee. Membership fees cover gas, premium insurance and the reserved parking as well as 24-hour service.
Cars can be reserved by the hour on the Internet and the vehicles are available at the reserved parking spot. The member uses an I-GO Smartcard to access the vehicle and to return it upon completion of one’s errands.
“Another great feature is that the car can be reserved minutes before you need it – if it’s available – or days or even weeks in advance. And in addition to the Lakeshore East vehicle, there are another 160 I-GO cars located throughout the city that are available to I-GO members,” explained Casciano.
Onboard computers tally the number of hours and miles driven on each trip and the member is charged based on the driving plan he or she is on.
“What we really love about this not-for-profit car-sharing program is not just the convenience, but it is easy, affordable and environmentally friendly. It just simplifies life and since many of our residents don’t own a car it is a great service,” said Casciano.
Rising in the heart of downtown Chicago, steps from such world-class attractions as Michigan Avenue, Millennium Park and Navy Pier, Lakeshore East spans 28 acres, believed to be one of the largest parcels of downtown land under development in a major U.S. city. This $4 billion mixed-use development in the rapidly growing New East Side incorporates all the elements of a traditional city community, a lifestyle center that includes homes, retail, recreational opportunities and amenities such as a lush 6-acre public park and a planned elementary school.
Lakeshore East is viewed as a preview of the future, an urban village where people can live, work, shop, eat and pursue whatever interests them.
The plan that completes the ambitious Illinois Center development allows for the construction of up to 4,950 residences, a magnificent 6-acre public park, 2.2 million gross square feet of commercial space, 1,500 hotel rooms, 400,000 square feet of retail space and the proposed elementary school.
Residential developments at Lakeshore East currently include five completed and occupied buildings, The 29-story Lancaster, the community’s first condominium building with 209 homes; The Shoreham, a 46-story apartment tower with 548 residences; The Regatta, a 44-story condominium building with 325 residences; 340 On The Park, a 62-story condominium tower with 340 units and The Chandler; a 35-story condominium building 300 condo homes.
The 51-story The Tides, the community’s second rental property with 607 luxury units is nearing completion while construction continues on the 82-story Aqua, which will be the first high-rise in the city designed uniquely to combine condominiums, rental apartments, hotel and retail spaces, and the first phase of The Parkhomes at Lakeshore East, an enclave of 24 gracious townhomes, are also under construction. A diverse retail component of the community already includes leases for a full-service Treasure Island grocery market, Fifth Third Bank facility and Caffé RoM coffee shop.
For additional information, please telephone Vanessa Casciano at (312) 642-8869 or visit the Websites, www.LakeshoreEast.com or www.igocars.org.
