City Task Force targeting illegal new construction
The Department of Buildings began an intensified enforcement action recently that will help identify and stop illegal construction in Chicago. A task force of City building inspectors, Commissioner Stan Kaderbek and police officers who specialize in neighborhood property problems, began a series of inspections intended to stop and cite illegal construction work. The task force made inspections on Dec. 21, 2004, and Jan. 14, 2005.
During the first two days, task force City building inspectors visited 115 construction sites and issued 40 stop-work orders that halted illegal construction.
Altogether, inspectors wrote 58 violations ranging from "no permit on site" and "no plans on site" to "work without a permit." In one case, a complete gut-rehab of a building had been done with only a "remove and replace roof decking" permit. In another case, a contractor alleged to be the owner of the home he was working on under a permit issued for a different contractor whose name had been obscured on the posted permit with typewriter correction fluid.
Vacant police station property slated for accessible office redevelopment
Mayor Richard M. Daly has introduced to City Council a plan to build a new office space and headquarters for a cross-disability housing advocacy organization on the site of the former 18th District police station in the River North neighborhood.
Under the plan, Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, a cross-disability organization governed and staffed by a majority of people with disabilities, would be sold the 11,000-square-foot parcel at 115 W. Chicago Ave. in order to build a new four-story headquarters building.
Access Living is a nationally-recognized advocacy organization. It offers peer-oriented independent living services, public education, individualized and systematic advocacy and enforcement of civil rights on behalf of people with disabilities.
The City is assisting the development by selling the land for a reduced price of $250,000. The site has an appraised value of $2.2 million.
The building will be 35,000 square feet, and will include 24 parking spaces, 18 of which will be located below grade. It will be masonry clad and will incorporate many "green" building design features including a green roof and an interior environment designed to be usable by people with multiple chemical sensitivities. |
