By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
The Diversey Harbor Lakeview Association (DHLA) has called a created a community liaison committee to monitor the work to be done by contractors on the demolition of the old Columbus Hospital at 2520 Lakeview Ave. and the construction by American Invsco Realty of luxury high rise condominiums. Co-chairs of the committee will be Eugene Fisher, executive director of DHLA, and Gale Klein, president of the neighboring Park West Community Association.
The purpose of the new group will be to enforce a supplementary agreement reached between the interested community groups and Invsco when the final development proposal was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission. This plan mandates certain standards that must be observed during the construction phases of the development, which is expected to take up to 48 months to complete.
“The Community Liaison Committee is recruiting monitors to insure that Invsco and its contractors observe the terms of the agreement,” said Fisher. “According to minutes of the plan approved by the Plan Commission, this agreement became an addendum to the basic agreement and, as such, is now a part of the city ordinances approved for the development. Any violation of the addendum could be construed as a violation of the enabling ordinance and bring the entire development into question.”
Copies of a summary of the supplementary agreement were distributed at the meeting which was attended by Ald. Vi Daley (43rd). Key provisions limit the hours during which demolition activities can take place (8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on weekdays, until 5 p.m. on Saturday and no activity on Sundays). Similar time restrictions control the excavation phase of the development though they can continue until 8:00 p.m. during the week and until 5 p.m. on weekends with the exterior construction phase of the development. City ordinance does not contain any restrictions on Sunday activity and permits later work hours during the week.
In addition, street cleaning is mandated and there is a requirement to maintain the site in a clean and orderly manner. There is to be an effort on the part of the developer to minimize the noises that usually accompany any heavy construction project and truck traffic is to be minimized, especially on the very narrow Lakeview Avenue frontage of the buildings.
To offset the loss of on-street parking, 50 garage spaces are to be made available to neighborhood residents at no charge. A procedure to apply for one of these spaces is being developed by the Community Liaison Committee and Alderman Daley to provide for the fair allocation of the available spaces.
According to Chuck Eastwood, spokesman for Alderman Daley, “We’re aware that a tremendous amount of effort went into the agreement and we’re confident that it will be adhered to [by Invsco].” |
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