CHICAGO— Dr. David Schreiber had searched for two years to find a Chicago location for Compass Health Center , which provides psychiatric services to patients of all ages. But like an increasing number of office users, last year the executive director ultimately decided that an amenity-rich neighborhood on the North Side, one far from the downtown congestion, was the best bet. “It was really essential for us to have ample free parking,” he tells GlobeSt.com, a quality lacking in most downtown options. But the Bradley Business Center , a 22-acre site at 2500 W. Bradley Pl. and 2640 W. Bradley Pl. in the North Center neighborhood, offers hundreds of free parking spaces. So Compass, which also has a location in suburban Northbrook, recently took 21,000 square feet, alongside an array of other tenants that have nearly filled the 500,000 square feet of office and single-story commercial space. For Compass' patients, free parking “was a game changer,” he adds. “It becomes a real hindrance if they have to spend $52 just to come to your office.” In addition to providing free parking, the owners of the BBC have started bringing amenities to the North Side that tenants usually associate with downtown properties. Chicago-based Hansen Realty and its joint venture partner Centrum Partners started assembling the first parcel of land at the center about seven years ago. And this year, the partners will open up a gym and roof-top deck in the former manufacturing facility. “We do a lot of staff functions,” Schreiber adds, and that deck will definitely get used in the summer. As reported in GlobeSt.com, Centrum has also envisioned transforming a portion of the historic Wieboldt's department store in Wicker Park, also on the North Side, into a hub for creative office users. The hope is that the wide variety of retail and entertainment options now available there will draw in firms looking for the lively atmosphere found downtown, but without downtown prices. North Center has a similar vibe, says Schreiber. “This whole area has grown on so many levels; we have access to an unbelievable number of retail options. Starbucks , Mariano's and many others are just a short distance away.” And the cost? “It's been very cost-effective. We really found a gem.”

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Bradley Center Offers Game Changer for N. Side Tenants

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