Pangea Properties Provides Free Wireless to Underserved Chicago Neighborhoods

The City of Chicago enacted the Wireless Internet Zones initiative to bring free Wi-Fi to new areas of the city, but many of those hotspots are pinpointed downtown, at locations such as parks or the beach.

By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor

Chicago, Ill.— Pangea Properties, a private real estate investment trust based in Chicago, is offering free WiFi to its residents as a complimentary amenity. “Part of our business model is not only rehabbing buildings but also restoring the neighborhoods we serve,” Al Goldstein, Pangea Properties’ CEO, tells MHN. “The Internet has become fundamental to areas such as higher education and career advancement, providing a resource such as free WiFi may offer a significant impact on the everyday lives of our residents.”

The City of Chicago enacted the Wireless Internet Zones initiative to bring free Wi-Fi to new areas of the city, but many of those hotspots are pinpointed downtown, at locations such as parks or the beach. Pangea Properties owns and operates properties that are mostly located in low to middle income neighborhoods throughout Chicagoland, which couldn’t take advantage of the WIZ program.

“We basically had one of those a-ha moments. The security cameras we install, at many of our properties, requires an Internet connection, so providing WiFi was a simple add-on,” Goldstein says. “With the added resident benefit, along with fitting our mission to give back to the communities we operate in, it was an easy decision.”

Now, Pangea’s 1,500 residents residing in neighborhoods such as South Shore, Chatham and Austin can make use of the Internet from the comfort of their own apartment. According to Goldstein, the competitiveness in the rental market is growing and benefits like this keeps the company a step ahead.

“At Pangea we look at our renters as customers and in order to retain our customer’s long-term, we need to be able to provide premier benefits,” he says. “As such, providing a sought after amenity like free WiFi, combined with our Pangea Loyalty Rewards program (similar to that of a credit card or airlines program) provides our residents with the best mix of a beautiful home and perks.”

Pangea has over $250 million into 8,000+ apartment units throughout Chicago, Indianapolis and Baltimore, with a goal of continuing to expand within current markets as well as into new markets.