Good
morning, good morning.
We can-- Please get a seat. I know we're a little bit behind.
We had two, two meetings happening at the same time, so we're
gonna
get it started in a minute. I want to
welcome everyone to the March meeting to the Committee on Housing
and, and Real Estate of the City of Chicago.
The time is ten forty-five, and the meeting is called to order.
Today, we have fourteen items on the agenda, and we're gonna start with a
roll call to establish quorum. Vice Chair Mitchell.
Vice Chair
Mitchell.
Alderman Robinson. Alderman Robinson present.
Alderman Quinn. Alderman Quinn present.
Alderman Moore. Alderman Moore present.
Alder,
Alder-Alderman Burnett. Alderman Burnett present.
Alderwoman Rodriguez Sanchez. Presente.
Um, Alderman Villegas. Present. Alderwoman Mitz.
Present. Alderwoman Clay. Present.
Alderwoman Anna Happenworth and Alderwoman
Hadden. Present. That give us
ten, including the Chair, so we have quorum.
Um, we have a rule fifty-nine request from the following
aldermen, Taylor, Tavarez, Casada, and
Scott. Can I get a motion to allow them to be added to the quorum
via remote means? So moved by Alderperson Anna
Happenworth. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed say nay.
In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it.
Alderpersons Taylor, Tavarez, Casada, and Scott have been added to
the quorum. Today, we
have,
eight public speakers who have
registered on time to sign up. Each speaker will
be given three minutes, in three minutes to speak on all items on the
agenda, and we're gonna start with,
Dottie Williams or Willis.
Thank
you.
Dottie Willis, and what I would like to say is I feel we
need-- I live in a low-income housing, and we need to be able
to communicate with the owners to tell our problems
that's concerning some of the management companies that they have.
Like, we-- Right now, I got Evergreen managing us, and we got a security
door that's been broken for three months, and they have promised and promised and
promised to fix it. Then when the tenants go and we ask for repairs, they don't
do it in a timely manner. They use in-- reuse inventory, and then
sometimes they intimidate the, the tenants.
We have a tenant right now who has a broken sink.
For three months, she has been complaining.
They have yet to fix it. And the-- and it's like, we
need to be able to communicate our problems to the
owners. They don't have to give their real name, but give us a way to communicate
so we can tell them what the management company is doing, so we can have
decent, decent housing like everyone
else. Thank you.
Um, next we have Sisters Zakiya
Muhammad
Good morning, everyone. My name is Zakiya
Muhammad, and I'm here supporting the Healthy Home
Ordinance. The Healthy Home Ordinance is a very
important ordinance, an ordinance that will
improve the health of Chicago families.
It will create a citywide building register, and that
will be the purpose of
meeting to understand and put together how that
can be done. It is a three-year
pilot, phase program. It'll
institute fair and regular
inspections. This is why... another reason
why I would like to see this ordinance pass.
These are some complaints that come over the
phone every day through Metropolitan Tenant
Organization. This is a eighty-four-year-old
resident. Her complaint is garbage is in the back of the
building and is only picked up twice a week.
It's a five-story building, fifty-two units.
They have super mice infection, dangerous electrical
problems from faulty cords burning and scorching the
wall sockets. Had to unplug the freezer, food
unthawed. Always, always
unprofessional people coming in, half doing the work,
half doing this, half doing that, doing little or nothing at
all. Been promised a new refrigerator for two years.
Don't have any racks inside it. This is a eighty-four-year-old
lady. Two years since she's been promised this
refrigerator. Uh, no shelves, as I was
saying. Very little heat comes up, so all of them are buying these
portable heaters to put in their apartments, and
that's pulling that extra, extra electricity through
those cords. So,
the reason I bring this up, because we hear this every
day from residents. People that old
should not have to live like that. It-- Young families
shouldn't have to live like that, as far as that's concerned.
But this is what we have to hear. This Healthy Home
Ordinance, that will stop all of that, because
inspection is required from the building owners.
And if building owners have a good heart, my goodness, why not
let people come in and inspect your building?
If something is wrong with it, fix it.
My God. W- this shouldn't go on and on and on and on
and on in Chicago. At, in the home of the
free, the land of the brave, and all that good stuff, and people suffering like
this. Please, Alderman, find it in your heart.
Let's pass this ordinance, so we can be a better city, a better
people. Thank you.
Thank you. Next we have Patricia
Puente.
Thank you. I have a concern with what the lady just
mentioned. I agree with her a hundred percent.
But at the same time, when the
landlords do not take care of their buildings, rats,
cockroaches, summer is around the corner.
And
do we s-
what is it that the city is waiting to clean up
their streets?
Okay. H- help... Well, I'm
going somewhere else, sorry. Um, helping these
people in
making them feel better and live
better. It's the responsibility of
the owner. I used to be an owner. I used to own a
three-flat building, a two-flat building, and
never did one tenant complaint. Every time
they told me, "This needs to be fixed," I would send somebody to
fix it. That's why they're getting the monies from the
rents, so that when the tenants needs a little bit
of fixture, they could put that money and
fix whatever that tenant needs. That's what I
used to do. So there's no excuse for the
owners not to fix,
fix their whatever necessities they need. Okay.
The other thing is the,
homeless people. Homes for the homeless
people. You guys have to let me know
there's a lot of homeless people underneath the
bridges. They're intoxicating our
water when they throw their trashes, when they go and throw their
mattresses.
Where can I go and report this? Because I have gone
to the alderman's office. They have been trying to do something about
it, and it looks like the only people that can do it is
the city. So then,
please, you guys have enough
money. It doesn't take a lot of money.
It just takes the will of doing it,
cleaning it up, those, bank
waters, our lakes. They're trashing
garbage. Ugh. I don't know why they don't like
our city. What can I say? But I love this
city. Thank you very much. And like I said
before, the owners, that's why they're paying you.
Thank you. Next we have Alejandro
Quiroz.And I'd
also like to recognize Aldwin Meads for the purpose of the quorum.
Good morning. Go ahead.
Morning. Hi. I'm here to speak on the land
transfer to Neighbor Space, 1644 West
35th Street. Um,
what you see there, it used to be an abandoned lot.
It is now a completely community-built skate park.
So
with Neighbor Space, we hope to
be able to continue to grow what we're doing at Marshfield
Courts. This little lot is between two
other just similar-sized lots, and what it is
is it's a completely unique space.
There's no place like it's, like this anywhere else,
and I think Chicago, it being such a unique, radical
place, deserves to move forward in such a
recreational, such a homegrown, organic,
community-built, community-oriented space.
So through this land transfer, we would not
only be able to continue the work that we're doing at Marshfield to
continue to beautify McKinley Park, where I grew up and where I still
stay, but we will be able to expand.
We'll be able to continue to work this
not only beautiful space but,
like, grow skateboarding community as a
healthy, recreational activity,
which we could always use more of. We have, at
Marshfield
from the jump, community support.
Our neighbors are who provide us water.
They are who provide us electricity to build, to
clean. Um, we've got a
bunch of amenities. We have a mini gallery
where we showcase local artwork. We have a little free
library where everyone can come and, you know, leave a
book, take a book, leave a tool, take a...
grab a stick or whatever it may be. I think
this space can only become as cool as
Chicago allows it to be, and for one, I'm
very proud of Chicago. I'm very proud of what we're doing at the skate park,
so it's something worth investing in.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Next, we have Eladio
Montenegro.
Morning. Uh, my name's Eladio Montenegro.
I'm here to
speak in support of the transfer of the 1644 West 35th Street space,
to Neighbor Space, so I echo a lot of what my friend Alex here said.
Uh, so Marshfield Courts is an already thriving community space that was created
entirely by neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Uh, what was for decades a vacant lot has been transformed into a skate park,
garden, art gallery, and a little free library, all
built and maintained by local residents through the Marshfield Courts Collective.
Uh, the skate park itself began as an, as an art installation and has organically
grown over the fa- over the past five years into a place where young people
gather, learn, and support one another.
Uh, today the site hosts skate jams, community cookouts, and other neighborhood
events that bring people together.
Uh, members of the collective also work closely with young skaters to provide a
safe and positive space for them to build skills and
community. Beyond the skate- the skating, the space also
includes a growing native garden, its goal to create a thriving garden that
supports local pollinators, while adding much-needed green space
for neighbors. Uh, but what makes the space special is that it already
works. Uh, the infrastructure's already in place.
We have ramps, planter boxes, benches, and gathering
spaces. Uh, and neighbors continue to care for it every day.
Uh, the transfer to Neighbor Space, who is a trusted partner who has helped
transform other vacant lots in McKinley Park, would simply ensure
long-term stability by providing insurance, stewardship, and a trusted structure
to support the community members, who have built and maintained this
space. Uh, so Marshfield Courts has become a welcoming gathering space where
neighbors connect through recreation, nature, and arts.
Uh, preserving it will ensure that this community-led space continues to thrive
for years. Thank you.
Next, we have Emma
Anslem.
Good morning, everybody. My name's Dr.-
Morning
... Emma Anslem, and I'm a pediatrician at Lurie Children's Hospital, and
I'm here today speaking on behalf of Lurie Children's in support of the proactive
rental inspection working group ordinance.
We know that the housing environment is critical to the health and safety of
children, and we strongly support, as pediatricians,
proactive rental inspections to make sure that children are living in
health and safety housing.
I'm really here because of my patients.
I want to tell you about my patient, Anna.
She's a two-year-old girl who was admitted to the hospital for lead
poisoning. This was from lead paint and dust in her
home. And unfortunately, we know that in small children,
lead poisoning can have irreversible damage to the
brain, to the kidneys, to the reproductive system.
When she was discharged from the hospital, unfortunately not all of the lead paint
had been addressed in her home, and she had to be readmitted to the hospital
for ongoing lead toxicity. And you can imagine
the emotional stress, the economic toll on this family for multiple
hospital admissions, and this could have been prevented if the lead
dust had been proactively identified and mitigated in her home.
I also want to tell you about my patient, Mark.
He's an eight-year-old boy who was admitted for an asthma attack, and when
his mom brought him to the hospital, he was having so much trouble breathing, he
couldn't even speak. His mom was really scared, and he needed
twenty-four hours of breathing treatments before he started to be
better. And when I was talking to his mom, she said she had first noticed
breathing problems when they started to have rodents and cockroaches in the
home. She'd been trying for months to figure out who even owned her
building so that she could try to get that code violation addressed.
And unfortunately, we know rodents and cockroaches can trigger asthma in
children and can lead to long-term respiratory problems.
So there's really no... This is not acceptable.
No child should have to live in unhealthy and dangerous housing,
and we know this can be prevented through proactive rental inspections.
So as pediatricians, we really strongly urge you to pass this working group
ordinance. Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Next, we have John Barlett.
Good morning, and thank you for allowing me to speak.
Um, my name is John Bartlett. I'm the former director of the Metropolitan Tenants
Organization, and I'm here to support the formation of a working
group that's gonna look into proactive inspections so that we can
actually have a, a inspection program that works.
I think the first thing that we need to do is admit that our
city's inspection program is not working right now.
As a, the director of the MTO, I can tell you that
for twenty-nine of the thirty years that I was there, that
repairs were the major reason tenants called, and they
called about all sorts of conditions that none of us would w-
ever wanna live in. And the reason that is, is because as a
city, we're allowing landlords to get away with this.
That the only way to actually make sure that buildings are up
to code or making sure that, that they are following the rules is that there
has to be regular inspections. And we need to kind of figure out
how are we gonna do this. Other cities have done it, and so we're d- asking for
is that we come up with a working group to come up with that.
And in the long run, that this is gonna actually save the city a ton of
money. That one, it's gonna preserve affordable
housing. 'Cause right now, just think of all the units in your
wards or that you've heard of lately that we've had
to vacate because the conditions
are no longer livable for tenants.
That's putting people out on the street.
Secondly, it's gonna save money in the long run because we're gonna have
healthier people. We just heard from Dr.
Enselin just about the huge
impact that housing has on health, that we can actually
prevent these
situations from happening. We can prevent these toxins.
We can prevent it 'cause we know what the problem is.
We know where they're coming from.
What we need to do is to get out there and do that.
And in, in the long run, actually, I think it's gonna actually cut down on
evictions. Because I tell you, when tenants call and
say that a landlord hasn't done this, they haven't fixed anything,
"Why should I pay rent? I need to move.
I need to do this," I mean, it-- all these things lead to
problems in the housing, and we have a housing crisis.
It's not just about affordability.
It's also about conditions and the conditions that we're forcing people
to live in. So I really wanna encourage the, council
to pass this ordinance that would actually create a
working group to actually find out and figure out how we can actually create
an inspection program that's gonna proactively address the issues that
we're dealing with. Thank you.
Thank you. Our last speaker, is Geoffrey
Cubbage from, BGA.
Thanks very much, committee members.
My name is Geoffrey Cubbage. I'm a budget and policy analyst with the Better
Government Association. But, prior to that, I worked in Alderman
Vasquez's office up in the fortieth ward, and it is, largely from that
experience and that background that, I am encouraging you to
take up and advance today's Healthy Homes Working Group Ordinance.
Um, I know that every single one of you has dealt with, in your
wards, housing issues, building safety issues, health and safety issues,
and I know that every single one of you has had the experience of those issues
being complicated, it being hard to find out who was responsible, it being hard to
get the right parts of city government out there.
We have multiple departments that touch on this.
What the working group ordinance does is bring all of those departments together
and tasks them with coming up with a better system that works for
Chicago that can lead us to proactive rental inspections.
It's something that's been done in other major cities.
It's something that has become self-funding and self-sustaining in other cities.
It's something I think we can do very successfully here in Chicago.
We just need to bring all the players together at the table with members of the
community, work on the nuts and the bolts and the numbers of exactly what this
would look like in the city of Chicago, and that's something I'm confident we can
do. So I wanna thank our sponsor for bringing it forward today.
I wanna thank the chairman for having it on the agenda today and all of you for
being here, and strongly encourage advancing this to the, city council this
month. Thank you very much.
Thank you.
The committee also received fourteen written public comments.
Written comments were emailed and included in your packets today.
Um, we also have four comments from last month regarding the second
item of the agenda, that is the Healthy Home, Healthy Homes Working
Group. Um, this concludes our public comment.
I appreciate everybody for coming and, testifying on the
Housing and Real Estate Committee.
Or, before I start in the first order of business, I wanna recognize
also Alderperson Jesse Fuentes for the purpose of the quorum.
Our first order of business is the Rule forty-five report from February eleventh,
twenty twenty-six, which was emailed and handed out to committee members.
Can I get a motion to recommend approval of this report?
So move by Alderperson, Rosa-Rosana Rodriguez Sanchez.
All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed, say nay.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
The Rule forty-five report has been approved.
The first item on, on the agenda is Appointment twenty twenty-six dash zero
zero twenty-three four twenty-one, appointment of Alyssa
Rodriguez as member of the Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund board.
Uh, we have with us today Ms. Rodriguez to introduce herself and give a short
summary of her interest in serving on the board.
We also have Chief Homelessness Officer Sandy So-Soto,
to also add for any, any questions of committee
members. So we can start maybe with, with, Sandy and then with
Alyssa. Thank you so much.
Good morning, everybody. My name is Sandy Soto, the Chief Homelessness Officer for
the City of Chicago. And I am pleased to introduce Alyssa
Sanchez Rodriguez as a candidate for the Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund
board.
Elisa is wilet- widely respected across Chicago's human services and
housing systems for her more than three decades of leadership in
public service here in the city of Chicago.
During her time with the Department of Family and Support Services, she led many
of the programs and partnerships that support Chicagoans experiencing
homelessness, survivors of domestic violence, and households
navigating economic adversity, including previously
serving on the Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund board.
Over the course of her career, Elisa has worked closely with a broad
network of nonprofit providers, community leaders, and
government partners to strengthen the systems that help families
move from crisis to stability. Her, her work
overseeing large service portfolios and coordinating across agencies
has given her a deep understanding of how housing programs,
supportive services, and community organizations must work
together to produce lasting outcomes.
Even after retiring from the city in twenty twenty-two,
Elisa has continued her commitment to this work.
She now serves as the area command social service director for the
Salvation Army, where she helps guide programs serving Chicago
residents facing hardship and also leads the--
also teaches the nonprofit leadership and governance class at North Park
University, sharing her experience with the next generation of
community leaders. Her long-standing commitment to
collaboration, responsible stewardship of public
resources, and expanding access to stable housing would make
her a thoughtful and experienced leader on the Chicago Low Income Housing
Trust Fund board. Thank you for your consideration.
And now I, and now I invite Elisa Sanchez Rodriguez to share more
about her background.
Thank you, Cindy. Good morning, members of the City Council Housing
Committee. My name is Elisa Sanchez Rodriguez, and I want to thank you for the
opportunity to be considered for the appointment to the Low Income Housing Trust
Fund board. I bring more than thirty-five years of experience
servicing vulnerable and low-income populations.
I recently retired, as Cindy said, in twenty twenty-two from the city of
Chicago after thirty-two years, where I served as managing deputy
commissioner for the Chicago Department of Family and Support
Services. In that role, I helped the development and
implementation of programs that moved individuals and families from crisis to
stability with a strong emphasis on permanent housing
solutions and supportive services.
I am currently service-- serving, as you, as Cindy said, as the director of
social services for the Salvation Army in the city of Chicago.
In this capacity, I continue to support vulnerable populations while partnering
with strong community practitioners to expand opportunities and
improve outcomes for low-income residents.
Throughout my career, I have worked closely with community organizations, service
providers, and local leaders to design policies and strategies that
reduce barriers for those impacted by poverty.
Whether addressing prior evictions, homelessness, limited
income, or access to services, my focus has always been, and will
continue to be, on creating pathways, not obstacles, to stable
housing. I believe deeply in collaboration and system
building. By strengthening partnerships and increasing community
capacity, we can create coordinated systems of care that give
everyone a fair chance at safe and affordable
housing. Especially in times when funding is
uncertain and resources are at risk, we must be
strategic, innovative, and flexible.
I pride myself on being nimble, solution-oriented, and
willing to think creatively to maximize opportunities and ensure
responsible stewardship of public trust.
I would be honored to serve on the board and continue my ex-- con-contribute my
experience, leadership, and collaborative approach to
advancing equitable and sustainable housing solution,
solutions in our community. Thank you for your time and consideration, and I'm
happy to answer any question if you have any.
Thank you. Uh, we have a question, by Alderperson
Taylor. Can you hear us, Ald-Alderman Taylor?
I can now hear you. Thank you, Chairman.
Um,
it seems like you never retired.
Yeah.
Um, but can you talk about
what the low in-income trust
does, and how does it work and
operate for people who kind of-- I think we throw around these words, or
we talk about things or programs that we have, but we never really
explain to people what it is. Can you explain to folks what it
is and kind of what is your role on the board of the
trust?
So yes, Alderman. Thank you. Um, so as we know, the Low Income Housing
Trust Fund was created in nineteen eighty-nine as a way to have a public
interest in creating supportive, fair housing for
individuals and families impacted by poverty.
The role of the, Low Income Housing Trust Fund is to maintain a
portfolio of units where we can match vulnerable
populations to safe and affordable housing, partnering with community
organizations that then do the supportive services to ensure
that families and individuals that are matched to any of the
units, continue to become stable and not enter
or be at risk of homelessness again.
I think it plays a very pivotal role in ensuring that as a
city, as big as Chicago, that we continue to grow
our portfolio and continue to invest in these type of units.
Because as we all know, there are many families and individuals in Chicago that are
impacted by poverty and need the support services and
are, really entitled to safe and affordable housing,
especially in communities that are impacted by violence and
poverty and homelessness. We need to create a system that allows people to have
safe and affordable housing.
A final question.
What do you feel like-- through the chair, can you give us the
data on what's happened with the low-income trust in the last couple
of years? Um,
about where we are. Have we lost units?
Do we have more units? And
is there a website folks can go to, to sign
up,
to get access to the
trust?
We, we can offer more information through the chair.
Um, I can also share a quick overview of where the trust fund is
at this moment. Unfortunately, due to financial
constraints, there has not been any new units added to the
portfolio. It actually is going through an attrition phase at the
moment, meaning that if a family moves out of a unit, the trust fund will
not recertify. We are in the process of also looking at
state legislation to, find different ways to increase the
funding, probably through the recordation fee, which was increased a couple
of years ago, under then Senator Cristina Pacione
Zayas. Uh, so we are, we are advancing,
some, some efforts on the state side.
Uh, but at the moment, the financial constraints of the trust fund have
disallowed, new tenants from moving into these affordable
units.
Thank you. Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Alderman Taylor. Uh, Alderwoman Rosana Rodriguez
Sanchez.
Thank you, Chair. I just want to say thank you for saying
yes. Um, I
am so grateful for the work that you did for the city.
Um, I was able to collaborate with you multiple
times on accelerated moving events and the
humanity with which you treated
people, the efficiency, of the
processes. I was always really impressed and, and
always very grateful that we could lean on you.
Um, so I'm, I'm just very grateful that you're saying yes to this, and I'm looking
forward to collaborating with you again. Thank you, Chair.
Thank you. Any other questions or
comments? Otherwise, can I get a
motion for approval of this item? So moved by Alderperson Clay.
All those in favor say aye. All those opposed, nay.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
The due pass recommendation of this appointment will be reported out at the next
city council meeting on March eighteenth, twenty twenty-six.
And thank you so much, Elisa. We're looking forward to working with you.
Uh, we're very glad to have you on board. Thank you.
Any questions? No. The next item is, an
aldermanic introduction from Alderwoman Rodri- Rosana Rodriguez Sanchez's
Ordinance 2025-001999-1,
Establishment of Proactive Rental Inspection Working Group
to Regulate Inspections, Certifications, and Testing
Criteria to Establish Registry to Track Data for Rental Housing in
Chicago. All committee members have received a one-pager,
where there's data in each ward and a report from the Change Lab
Solutions via email and in your packets today.
We'll have the lead sponsor, Alderwoman Rodri- Rosana Rodriguez Sanchez, give some
opening remarks. Then we'll have Sam Berth from the Law Center for Better
Qu- for Fair Housing, and Tanesha Par- Parker from the Chicago
Healthy Homes Coalition. Uh, and they will, follow with a presentation on the
specifics and testimonies for the ordinance.
So do you want to get us started, Alderwoman?
Yes. Thank you so much, Chair, for, having my item
on the agenda. I want to first,
say thank you to the Healthy Home Coalitions for, all of the
work that you have been doing for this last decade.
Um, this is important work. It is ambitious work.
It is work that requires imagination.
Um, and I'm very proud to be carrying this ordinance.
When the Healthy Home Coalition, came to my office
originally to talk about this, I started thinking a lot about the
process with treatment, not trauma, because these are big
undertakings, and we need to figure out how to best
make them a reality. And sometimes it takes a lot
of thinking, a lot of collaboration, and a lot of
work. Um, so we decided, to
create a working group in order to be able to manage that
undertaking. Uh, we want to be in communication and
collaboration with all of the city departments.
We want to make sure that we have an understanding of what is in place
already, what are commissioners thinking about, what are the resources that we
have, what are the resources that we need, and how do we make this happen.
And at the, at the core of it all, what we are trying to do is protect
people. Right now, inspections for,
rental units are not proactive, right?
Um, you have to wait until something happens, until a child
is sick, and there is a consequence to the lack of
maintenance to those units, in order to get a
complaint, and then there is an investigation.
But the harm has already been done at that point.
So we want to make sure that when families, especially the
most vulnerable families, low-income families, we want to make sure
that they know that when they rent a unit in the city of Chicago,
those units are good. Those units are going to
guarantee their safety and the health of their children.
Um, we want to protect babies from lead.
We want to protect babies from carbon monoxide.
We want to protect babies from mold.
And in my ward, and I know that this is something that a lot of my colleagues
struggle with, we get a lot of calls of people worried about the
conditions in which they are living.
Um, so I am very proud to be carrying this today.
I want to make sure that every one of my colleagues understand the working group
doesn't cost a cent. We are not investing any
money in this working group, but it is going to be the way in which we're going
to be able to figure out how do we do this.
Um-
Um, so now I'm going to allow, my colleagues
from the Healthy Homes Coalition introduce themselves and,
share their statements with us. Thank you, Chair.
Thank you. Go ahead, and please, your title and name for the
record.
Hi, good morning. Uh, my name is Sam Barth.
I'm a supervising attorney at Law Center for Better Housing, and I'm joined
by Ms. Parker as well. Uh, good morning and, and thank you to Chair Cichil
Lopez, our sponsor Alderwoman Rosana Rodriguez Sanchez, and the members of this
committee. Uh, I work for Law Center for Better Housing, a tenant rights
nonprofit here in Chicago. For the last five years, I've represented tenants in
eviction court, litigated building conditions issues against landlords, and worked
with community groups and tenant unions to seek building repairs and
improvements. LCBH has been a member of the Chicago Healthy Homes
Coalition since its founding. The coalition is a group of community organizations,
healthcare workers, public health groups, and housing advocates.
These groups came together based on the belief that the city's current methods of
protecting renters are insufficient.
Currently, the city's only able to respond to complaints, but a system of
scheduled or proactive inspections would create safer homes and improve health
outcomes for all renters. After a decade of advocacy, the
safe-- the coalition sees the passage of this working group ordinance as the
next step towards achieving that goal, and we're grateful for the opportunity to
speak to the committee today.
Um, so, so what is this, the-
Assuming it's, you know, Blue Cross Blue Shield is just a TPA that's managing a
fund, and somebody just needs to say this is a worthwhile investment because it's-
Okay. Uh, I'll keep going. Uh, so, so what is the
scope of the issue here? Uh, so Chicago is a city of renters.
Uh, more than half of Chicago residents, about six hundred and twenty-five thousand
households, are renters. And with some exceptions for
certain kinds of subsidized housing, rental homes in the city are only inspected if
a tenant makes a complaint through 311 or contacts their aldermanic
office. This means that building inspections are reactive
rather than proactive. And finally, responsibility for
rental housing safety is not centralized, but is spread across several city
agencies, including DOB, DOH, and DPH.
So from my work as a tenant advocate attorney, I've seen that the
complaint-based reactive system has three main issues.
First, when apartments aren't inspected until a problem is uncovered,
it's often too late. A toddler may have asthma or elevated blood lead
levels, the boiler is out for months in the winter, or a fire breaks out in
a building with-without smoke detectors.
So some statistics for, for the committee.
Uh, seventy-seven percent of Chicago homes were built before
1978, which is the year the federal government ban on lead paint went
into effect. So childhood lead poisoning rates in b-
predominantly Black communities like Englewood are consistently two to three times
the citywi-wide rate and six times that of communities like
Lakeview and Lincoln Park. Homes contain numerous
environmental hazards like mites, mold, and poor ventilation that can trigger
allergic reactions, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses.
Sixteen percent of Chicago families have at least one child with asthma.
In twenty twenty-two, families visited the ER for asthma more than twelve thousand
times, and ninety-two percent of those visits were by Chicagoans of
color. And a joint report by BGA and the Chicago Tribune
showed that between twenty fourteen and twenty nineteen, a hundred and forty
residential fires killed a hundred and seventy Chicagoans.
In at least two dozen of those fires, the c- the city had not inspected the
buildings for five or more years. Second
issue is relying on tenants to report conditions issues creates conflict between
landlords and tenants and can lead to evictions rather than
repairs. Even with legal protections for tenants, bad actors can
abuse the system and retaliate against tenants who report issues to the
city. Many tenants I've spoken to are afraid to call three one
one and report their landlord and ret- risk potential retaliation or
conflict. And unfortunately, they are right to be afraid.
We've had to litigate cases where the tenants did everything right in notifying the
city and withholding partial rent, and the landlord still tried to evict
them. Third and finally, reactive inspections have uneven
effects. Housing conditions issues are much more prominent in poorer
neighborhoods. Issues are allowed to fester in disinvested neighborhoods while
being treated more quickly in higher income neighborhoods.
Here to tell her own story about how our complaint system puts renters in harm's
way is Ms. Parker.
Hello.
My name is Ms. Parker, and I got my WPD apartment through
social services. I was in a woman's domestic violence
shelter with two of my kids. I was int- I was
told intentionally that everything would be fixed by the time I entered the
apartment. WPD did a walkthrough with me alone showing the apartment.
I noticed a lot of small issues and WPD promised they would fix on
arrival. Once I was placed in the unit, I was told by
WPB-- WPD that the issues would be fixed.
But, but when I got locked into my lease, I was told that I had to
replace everything on my own. I had to replace multiple broken blinds.
I had no shower rods, no poles for my closets, and had problems with
the refrigerator. And the balcony attached to my apartment was full of trash and
moldy water. Overall, I had to clean the apartment on my own and was forced
to pay for cleanup. Once my
refrigerator, once my refrigerator had gone out, WPD gave me
a gift card for the spoiled food, but then replaced my refrigerator with a
small college-sized fridge. When I addressed this issue,
WPD management asked me how much food I had to store.
I told them I had two children, so the small refrigerator was insignificant.
The radiator in my apartment also overheats
excessively. In addition, water and steam regularly leaks
from the radiators. The steam buil-build-up becomes so bad that
ice will form over my windows and shut my windows in me and my kids'
house, rooms. I'm sorry.
Mm-mm.Um, it's impossible
for, for me to open the windows in me and my kids' rooms.
I was told by WPD management to not worry, that
they would fix the issue. No one ever came out to fix anything.
I did everything on my own.
The following weeks, my-me and my daughter's room flooded due to
the radiators. Their Christmas presents and a lot of my
personal items were damaged in this process.
At that time, I contacted three one one because no one was helping me, and they
knew about the issues 'cause I called several times and they would bring somebody
out and noth-nothing would ever be done.
So I contacted three one one, and they just advised me to get rental insurance
and to clean my daughter's room. That was in November of two thousand and
twenty-five. Then I started finding dead mice in my
unit. My clothing, food, and my baby's toys were damaged
due to infections. I was finding
ur- rat urine and feces all over my daughter's toys.
She's had-- she has autism, so she doesn't
understand that she can't put everything in her mouth.
The-- this issue started after
a period of frequent, frequent, tenant turnover in the
building. WP- I called WPD management and was
told to call exterminators. I called
the exterminators, and they found several holes that were dug into my
house by these mouse. They came, they came out and
gave me, small traps for the
mice, but they told me that the mice would keep coming into my
apartment if I don't get, if I don't get the
holes sealed. And the exterminator said they don't do that, so I had to
call, m-management back. And
management told me that the holes were included in my
move-in ready checklist, and this was over a year after I moved
in. So,
um... And that I needed to contact my property
manager to discuss payment options.
So I was told I had to pay for the holes to be sealed into my
apartment. I submitted three work orders regarding the
issue. For the first work order, I was told someone was sent
out, but no one never came. The second order was
canceled, and the third order, I was sent
a, I was sent a receipt-- I mean,
not a receipt. I was sent a, a form
requiring that I pay for the services after I knew that
my other neighbors was not charged for the similar issues.
I'm the only one in my apartment building that doesn't have to pay rent, so I feel
like they don't fix my apartment because
they don't get rent from me, and I can't withhold rent from them.
So any issues I have, I'm always the last for them to be
fixed. Also,
we have no back exit. Our back door is bolted shut.
They-- the maintenance came out 'cause I, I'm the one who told,
maintenance that our back door is bolted.
Like, if there was a fire, we wouldn't be able to get out.
My kids' room are in the back. My room is in the back.
So if it was a fire in that front, we would have to jump out a window, or
God forbid, we won't even make it to the window.
This means that six families in the building only have one exit,
which is illegal. WPD fixed the bolted doors after I put in
a maintenance order. Shortly after the repairs, the doors were bolted
again. I asked the, I asked WPD management what happened, and he
told me it was bolted shut because we don't have keys, and
WPDD didn't want the doors open due to
pipes being busted in the back. During this same
time, two pipes busted in the building, one in the back and one in the
front. The one in the back caused significant flooding to
the apartments on the lower level.
The pipes that bust in the front resulted in
large icicles forming over tenants' mailboxes,
so there was no safe way for us to get our mail, and mail was also damaged in the
process. WPD has blamed or
ignored me throughout this process, putting me and my daughter's health and the
whole building's safety at risk. This-- There isn't an
owner. I looked at my lease, and the lease...
The owner says that it's-- I'm sorry.
There isn't an owner when I looked at the lease.
The owner is a LLC who gives permission to
WPD to handle things on their own. It is impossible to get into
contact with anyone. There are multiple numbers and emails that no one gets
back to. This building is a huge, a huge fire hazard, and
WPD knows this and haven't done anything about it.
Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Parker.
Thank you for-
Ms. Parker's story sheds light on injustices to tenants across the
city, but it doesn't have to be this way.
Dozens of US cities and counties from Cleveland to Los Angeles have adopted
some form of proactive inspection process, and Chicago can and
should be next. However, the coalition understands that there are real questions
about the best ways to do this and how to address these challenges in a practical
and cost-effective. Thank you.
This working group ordinance will allow members of the community and city
departments to collaborate and make recommendations for the creation of a new
inspection system. The working group will meet multiple times over the next
six months. It can se-- must seek input from city residents and
stakeholders, hold meetings in the North, West, and South
Sides, and gather input. And critically, at the end of the six-months
period, the working group will deliver a report.
The report will include recommendations on the most effective methods to improve
the quality and safety of rental housing in Chicago.
The report will help understand any costs and how to make improvements cost
efficient and budget neutral. Our coalition sees this working group as an
opportunity to work alongside city departments and co-create a
proactive rental inspection system that prioritizes tenant health and
safety. After a decade of advocacy, we're looking forward to this next step
to reimagine how our city can create healthier spaces for its
residents. Thank you very much for your time. I'm happy to answer any questions.
Thank you so much. Um, are there any other que- are there any
questions by committee members?
Any questions? Uh, uh-
Okay.
Oh, yeah. Go.
Okay.
Yeah. No, I think we're done with the presentation, right?
There's any, any other... Yeah. There, we can go with questions. Go ahead.
Thank you, Chairman. Um,
I, I, I definitely appreciate the spirit of this.
I just had a, a, a few questions about
the, the participation of it. Um, in reading
through it, and I'm sure my colleague can clear it up, it, it
doesn't, doesn't appear
that aldermen would be involved in here, because if you're making best
efforts, and I, we all know as aldermen what best effort, it could come up
good or we come up short, and we might have a, and not have a adequate
representation, so that would leave the alderman an opportunity to represent their
areas. So I think aldermen should have the opportunity to participate in here.
It doesn't expressly say that here, so I just want to make sure.
It doesn't explicitly say that here, so I just want to make sure that that's an
option.
If aldermen want to be a part of the conversation, you will certainly be
invited to participate of the conversation and provide all the
feedback that you want to provide.
Okay.
Yeah.
'Cause it wasn't ex- it wasn't explicitly stated.
And also, my, a recommendation, I think before the, the
door opens to outside, like the, at the groups, the
activist groups, I think it should be, it should start,
internally with aldermen, with the departments, and we
share our issues and then open it up to a broader
audience. And, uh-
Well, the... Can, may I?
Yes, please.
Um, this work has been designed,
it has been researched, and it has been put together by a
coalition of organizations that have a
very deep understanding of what this needs to be, and I need them at the
table. I am co-creating this with them, and I
want them at the table at all times as advocates.
That doesn't exclude alders, and it brings the city
together. The city is comfortable with having these conversations with
advocates, and I think that is the way to go for us.
So, Mr. Mitchell, so what I'm hearing
is that the, this, this invitation is open to aldermen to
participate.
Right, right.
Seems like the department-
No, I, I got that, and I'll concede to what she's saying that I-
Yeah
... I wouldn't even argue that.
Yeah.
But I'm just saying before that the aldermen, we, 'cause we
share our issues, and I would love to know what ward that, that, that the issue
you're experiencing, 'cause I have similar issues and I fought a lot in my ward.
But I think... And it's not detracting from anything.
I think this is an addition. It would-
I, I hear you. So maybe what I c- what I'll suggest, would it be possible maybe,
'cause sometimes we do have briefings with aldermen to inter- just to get-
Yes
... people in the committee to understand the working group, and then we start
meeting. Is that, is that-
If, if, if we need a pre-meeting before we start bringing
the working group together, I'm completely open to that and listening to
colleagues. We did reach out to all our colleagues in the
committee to make them aware of this and to make sure
that we could have conversations about what we were doing, and we are going to
continue doing that. So if a pre-meeting is necessary, I'm, I'm amicable
to that.
Yeah.
Okay.
Is that, will that work with aldermen?
No, that, yeah, that's fine, 'cause, 'cause we, we as a, the caucus, we met and had
some discussions around it, and there was not, you know, it was, it was, it was
some, there was some open-ended
concerns-
Mm-hmm
... how it, it gets proceeds. I don't think the spirit of it is
in question or anything like that.
I think it's, that's there, but-
Yeah
... there's just some little tweaking to make sure everybody's-
Yeah
... on the same page.
I, I think, I think that's fair. I know, Alderman, you're being very vocal also
about conditions in especially, poor conditions in
buildings in your ward, and I think maybe bringing those specifics and how this
working group will help.
Yeah. That's all I'm-
So that's, that, I think we're more than happy-
'Cause we share. We have our own set of issues-
Mm-hmm
... that we deal with internally.
Yeah.
And I think that could be an opportunity.
Uh, like I, I use me as an example.
Um, I don't think all the time when I'm responding to my
constituents, I get the support from the, from the city that
I need. So I think we need to get our, get our sh- together
before making it into a broader meeting.
I don't think that we have any disagreement.
Yep. It seems that we're on the same page.
So we agree with, with committee members, maybe we can, get a
conversation with the buildings, the OH, and any other relevant committee so that
we can see how this working group can help us. I think that we're in the same line.
We all care about this issue. I know that, we're dealing in different ways,
but I think we can all get together and get, get a
pre-meeting so that when, then we can start to work. Yeah.
And can I say a few words before we go-
Oh, ab-
... vote?
Absolutely.
I just wanted to thank Ms. Parker for being here today and
for sharing your story with us. Um,
we know that you are one story out of
lots and lots of people and lots and lots of families who have to
go through these terrible experiences and, and
live in this kind of condition, and we don't want this for anybody in the
city. So, thank you so much for being here
today. It meant a lot to be able to hear your
testimony.
Yeah. Thank you for-
Can I motion, for a vote?
So, ch- so, Chairwoman, thank you so much.
And then, and so, can I get a motion?
Oh, and before, we're gonna recognize also Alderman Villegas for purpose of the
quorum. Um, so can I have a motion by Alderwoman Persona
Rodriguez-Sanjust to move. All those in favor say aye.
Aye.
All those opposed nay. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
And I also wanna thank Ms. Parker for your testimony, your courageous
testimony, and we will be looking into this, WPD management
to make sure that we know we, we hold them accountable as well.
I wanna thank also the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing and all the advocates.
This is something that was really important for all of us, so we're looking forward
to do the pre-meeting and get this working group meeting and getting going as soon
as possible. Thank you so much.Yeah, what
is, what is your ward? What, what are you leaving? Do you know?
What is your, what is your ward? In what ward, do you know?
I don't know the ward.
What address?
Um, forty-five oh one South Michigan Avenue.
So it's in Bronzeville,
neighborhood. I don't even have a landlord.
Maybe-
The landlord is titled as a LLC.
Yeah. That may be in the third ward.
Yeah, but we'll definitely follow up with you on that.
And we also don't have a backdoor still, like, it's still bolted shut, so we only
have one exit.
Mm-hmm. Alde-alderman Villegas.
Thank you.
They've been knowing this for a long time now.
Thank you, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Um, I would just like to, just ask my colleague from the Third District
ward, I wanna make sure CHA is one of the landlords as well.
Oh, got it.
Okay?
Okay.
Because they're, they're one of the largest landlords in the city, and,
based on recent reports in the media, they have a lot of work to do.
So I wanna make sure that they're part of the, uh-
The working-
Yes.
The working group.
Yes.
Absolutely. That's a point well taken before this approved, so we'll, we'll make
sure that we got CHA, um-
Thank you.
Absolutely. We'll-- I'm glad that we have also, we, we explicitly make
sure that they will invite it as well. Thank you, Alderman.
So, since the board was taking notes of the, the, this
item will be reported at the next city council meeting on March eighteenth,
twenty twenty-six. This item passes, and thank you again for all the advocates.
And again, Ms. Parker, thank you very much for your testimony.
We'll be following up with you very soon.
Thank you.
Thank you again. Um, item number three will
be held in committee until further notice at the request of the
sponsor. Um, moving on item number
four, this is now demanding introduction, ordinance
2026-0023-349, designation
of fourteen fifteen North Dayton Street as low
affordability community in the twenty-seventh ward.
Alderman Burnett is here to testify on this ordinance.
Alderman Burnett.
Thank you, Chairman. This is
a
opportunity for us to provide more d- affordable housing in an area that's
becoming more and more, developed and affluent.
Um, we're completely-- we're adjacent to the Cabrini Green neighborhood, but this
area historically didn't really have any housing, but as it has
developed, we're becoming more above
market rate. Um, more akin, akin to the Lincoln Park
neighborhood than, the historic Cabrini Green neighborhood.
And so this is just an opportunity for us to instill more affordable
housing, in this growing community, which is desperately needed,
not only here, but across the city.
So I ask for, the committee's support.
Thank you, Alderman. Um, are there any questions on this item?
Otherwise, can I get a motion to move on this item?
So moved by Alderman Person, Jesse Fuentes. All those in favor say aye.
All those opposed nay. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
The due pass recommendation of this ordinance will be reported out at the next city
council meeting on March eighteenth, twenty twenty-six.
Uh, the next two items are from the Fleet and Facility Management.
Item number five, ordinance
2026-0023-3024,
acquisition of property at seventeen twenty-five North
Harlem Avenue for use as the Chicago Public Library branch in the
twenty-ninth ward. Merit Solis is from the Department of Fleet and Facility
Management to testify on this ordinance.
Thank you very much for being with us, Merit.
Thank you, Chairman.
And, good morning, community, members.
For the record, my name is Merit Solis from the Department of Fleet and Facility
Management. And the item I bring before you is for the
approval to purchase property to be activated by the Chicago Public
Library for its Galewood Montclair branch located in the
twenty-ninth ward.
For background, the, Galewood Montclair branch
closed its Grand Avenue location in twenty ten due to a
combination of factors. The branch was then temporarily moved
to a room within Sayre Park, field house
before its permanent closure in twenty twenty.
And since then, the city has been actively working to
secure a permanent location, or relocation, sorry, for a
fully functional branch. Uh, to FM engaged
CBRE as broker to assist in the selection of an appropriate site for the
branch. And CBRE representation is here with us today and, and
available for comment.
Uh, the property consists of approximately fifty-three thousand four hundred and
sixteen square feet of land area, which includes four
thousand one hundred and seventeen square feet of building space, the
site of a former retail bank. It has a B3
zoning designation. The pur-- proposed purchase
price is two million eight hundred and eighty-four
thousand dollars, which CPL has fully secured
through, grant funding.
The site includes fifty parking spaces and is
conveniently located on the major thoroughfare of North Harlem
Avenue for easy access, via public transportation, including
CTA screen and blue lines.
Uh, as I mentioned, the property is located in the twenty-ninth ward
and Alderman Talia Ferrell's, in full
support. This property is located on the east
side of North Harlem Avenue. It has approximately two hundred and
seventy-five feet of frontage on Harlem, and a depth
of approximately two hundred feet.
The property is improved with a one-story retail bank building,
reportedly built in the year two thousand.
The general area is a mix of residential, commercial, and
limited manufacturing uses. It is close
proximity of a new one hundred and fifty-two unit
residential development and-As well as a new
60,000 square feet out- ah, outpatient center
at, ah, North and Harlem
intersection. 2FM has
signed a non-binding letter of intent to purchase the
property from the owner, whose, ah, economic disclosure statement has been
circulated internally. And I re- ah, respectfully
request your favorable consideration on the acquisition on behalf of
the library. And that concludes my presentation for this item, and will be
happy to take any questions.
Are there any questions by committee members?
Otherwise, can I get a motion to move on this item? So moved by, ah, by Chairman...
Oh, one question or moving, Alderm-
No, I just wanted to commend my colleague for this
project that is being developed, ah, right on the edge
of city limits in Elmwood Park.
Mm-hmm.
Ah, it's one area I frequent a lot as
well, and a lot of work that is being done.
So this is a great addition to that, and bringing the public
library to that site as we are developing
our corners, corner by corner, throughout the city of
Chicago in every ward. So I just wanted to
commend my colleague, Alderman Telefero, for this project.
Thank you, thank you, ah, Chairwoman Mits.
And then without enthusiastic, so move on to approve on this item.
All those in favor say I, and all those opposed, nay.
In opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
The due pass recommendation, ah, for this item will be reported out at the next
city council meeting on March 18th, 2026.
Ah, item number six is the first amendment to lease agreement
with Archer Avenue LLC for property at 5672
South Archer Avenue in the 23rd Ward.
Mary, again, to testify to me-- on behalf of the Department of Fleet and Facility
Management.
Thank you, Chairman. Ah, the Department of Fleet and Facility Management is
requesting authorization to renew the lease agreement
with Archer Avenue LLC for the property located
at 5672 South Archer Avenue for continued use of the
Department of Family and Support Services, ah, Garfield Ridge Senior
Center, as well as the Office of the City Clerk South Side
Satellite. We do have members of, both departments
here present for comment as well. Ah, the property is
located in the 23rd Ward, and Alderman Tabaras
has expressed her full support. The lease area
consists of approximately six thousand seven hundred and fifty square feet of
office space, together with shared acce- ah, shared
access to twenty-nine on-site parking spaces for employees and,
and patrons. The city has leased this property since
2007. The city clerk's satellite
office provides high demand transactional services at this location, such
as the sale of vehicle stickers, res-residential parking
permits, and other licenses. Um, senior
satellite center for DFSS
provides seniors in the Garfield Ridge community
area, ah, with programs such as meal
distribution and other activities on the n- ah, neighborhood level from
this site. And the renewal of this lease would
allow for the continuation of these valued services here at this
location. The lease expired on December 31st,
2025 and has been on a month-to-month tenancy beginning, ah, this
year. The proposed term for the renewal is ten
years, and if approved by the city council, the lease will be
valid through December 31st, 2035.
The annual cost of this lease is one hundred and eighty-eight thousand
dollars, one hundred and twenty-four with, ah, eighty-four cents, with
an, ah, one percent annual escalation for the duration of the
term. And I'm here to ask for your most favorable
consideration in the renewal of this lease
agreement. And that concludes my presentation on this item.
Happy to take any questions.
Thank you, Ms. Solis. Ah, I have a question.
W- is, is the ten-year term standard, or how did we
come by ten years?
Y- yes. So it's been on a, a ten-year renewal since the
inception of the, of the lease.
Okay. How long has it been in, been in force?
Since, it's been since two thousand and seven is, is when
we've, ah, moved in.
Nineteen... So basic, just... Okay. All right.
Any, ah, questions from members of the,
body?
Mona.
My hand is up, Chairman.
Oh.
Okay. Uh, Alderman Taylor.
Thank you, Chair. Can you tell me, so we're paying to rent this space,
correct?
That's correct.
How much is the rent a year, and how long have we been renting this
space, and how much has it cost us?
So the annual rent is one hundred and eighty-eight thousand, ah, one
hundred and twenty-four dollars and eighty-four cents.
And you-
That's the year, correct?
For the year, yes.
Yes. So times that by how many years we've been in
there?
We've been, we've been there since
2007.
So 2007 for a building that we're renting.
I tell y'all all the time, for the amount of money that we spent renting this
space, we could have bought, repurchased, resurfaced, done some, some of
our own buildings. I-- And why does it have to be
ten years?
That was what was negotiated, with, with the landlord.
Um, it's been on a ten-year renewal since the inception of the lease.
So you said we've been there since twenty...
I, I want to do the math of how much we're spending.
I, I say to you all all the time, I feel like it's real
wasteful for us not to repurpose and build our own buildings, where
we're paying rents and leasing
To, to folks. This is money we
could have used somewhere else. Um,
I'm a no on this, Chairman. Thank you.
Yeah. Uh, thank you, Alderman Taylor.
Yeah, I, I actually share the same sentiments.
I think we had this kind of conversation, several times over the
last few years, and you've been a part of those kinds of stuff. So do...
can you share with us what has been done to kinda, go down
that direction of purchasing rather, p- as opposed to $3.6
million over 20 years?
Yeah. No, I, I definitely, share your concern there, and I just wanted
to add, so aside from just the space the, the
owner is providing, property management, so they, a- any
issues that are needed within the, the building, the owner
typically, steps in and, and does that work.
Um-
Is that part of the lease that they, they maintain?
'Cause usually with commercial leases, the tenant is responsible
for everything inside.
Yeah, so, yeah, and that's, that's a negotiating factor when
we're, when we're doing the lease.
Typically, the tenant is responsible for,
maintenance. Um, but in this case, the landlord takes care
of, a lot of the maintenance there, snow removal,
landscaping. Um,
the, the department, 2FM
does take care of the inside, so, like, janitorial-
Mm
... and, and that type of maintenance.
But as far as the, the building structure and,
you know, like I, like I mentioned, snow removal and, and
landscaping, any paving of the parking lot,
all that is, is taken, on by the, by
the, owner. And that's, that's some of the work
that, could be costly, i- if we owned
the building.
Since we've brought this up before, has any kind of analysis been done?
We are investigating that right now.
Actually, there's, an exercise that we're working on,
to look at all of our leased and city-owned
space to kinda maximize the use,
and, and optimize the use of space.
Okay. Um, e- even though it's, it's with Archer
Avenue LLC, I think
we should discuss seeing what's behind the Archer Avenue LLC, 'cause I would
love to know who actually owns it. I understand with property that, you know,
they hide behind LLCs and things like that.
I would, I would, and I think other members of the council would, would like to
know, who actually owns this property that we're paying $3.6 million
to over 20 years?
Yeah, yeah, sure. The m- the owner is Mark Sippage.
Okay.
Um, and w- I did circulate, the
economic disclosure statement-
Okay
... of the owner. Um, but I can, you
know-
Yeah
... if, if you have further questions about-
Yeah
... the structure of the ownership, I can definitely share that.
Yeah. Yeah. Again, we, we've brought this up many times, and I, I think Alderman
Taylor, she definitely has, has, has been very,
very, loud when it comes to this point.
So I, I definitely wanna see us get better at
things like this. I think fiscally we're...
we, we got some room for improvement as a city, so-
I agree
... and we're charging you with that. So a little help in that. Okay.
Uh, uh-
Thank you, Mayor
... Alderman Halbert?
Thank you for the presentation. So did you
mention that this property was under consideration for purchase
at some point, or no?
No. No. I did ask, and usually when we do lease renewals, I
always ask the owners, to see where their appetite is in, in
selling, and the owner was not interested in selling at the
time.
Wouldn't be.
Do you know the, do you happen to know the value of the land?
I... No. No, we didn't go through, doing,
you know, going through the appraisal of the...
It, it's a strip mall, so it would be kind of like, um... A- and we don't...
So the city doesn't occupy the entire strip.
Actually, the alderman's office just recently moved into,
a, a, a portion of the space, but there are still
other businesses that use it, non-city businesses that use,
the space as well, you know, share the space as well.
Um, but we didn't, go into investigating, the
purchase of the property since the owner wasn't interested.
And then you mentioned that you're going through an audit of
all of our leased spaces. Is that-
Yes
... and then is that, it gonna be reported out at some point
to a committee?
Yes. Yes. I, um... I- it's ongoing right now.
We're kind of, like, early stages, reaching out to all user departments
and seeing how, city space is being
utilized. Um, so yeah, we'll share those reports, when
they're available.
Do you think that they'll be available before budget season
starts?
I would hope so.
Okay.
Fingers crossed.
All right. Thank you.
Yeah.
Thanks, Chair.
Thank you.
Um, one, one more question. Um,
I have never really looked into the inventory of, to, that, that we
have as far as properties, but was there also any
consideration behind what we actually have that we could utilize that we own
and not necessarily have to pay, um-
Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for that question.
And we always also look into, vacant city
spaces to see if it could be used. Um, that's actually part of the exercise
that we're, we're working on now. A lot of our vacant spaces,
though, h- were vacated for a reason,
right? Like, it's, it's just in such disrepair that it wouldn't,
make financial sense to, continue using it
or, investing in it, due to environmental
issues, and other structural issues.
Um-But, but yeah, we also, we
always do consider, vacant city-owned space before,
moving in new space or renewing
leases.
Okay. Okay.
Um, Alderman Taylor?
Yes. Um, I asked for this the last time we talked and
didn't get it, but I would like for us to
see all of the properties that the City of Chicago
is renting out, that cost, how long we've been doing it.
And I don't know if that what that report
is going to say, but this, this makes no sense.
And you made the statement earlier, you asked the owner would
they, are they willing to sell? Why would they sell it when they could just collect
money from us for 10 years? And that lease does not make
sense. So for 10 years, no matter what's going on with the building or the
property, we just gotta go out of the lease?
I- I think that lease is too, too long, and there needs to be a
conversation about maybe it being five years, four years or something,
but not 10 years.
And-
And I-
Go ahead.
Sorry, Alderman. Uh, just wanted to add, the, the lease
also, does have, a provision where if the city
needed to vacate the space, we can give the
owner, proper notice, I believe a six-month notice, and
we can terminate early for, any reason.
Yeah, I still-
So we're not stuck to the 10 years.
Without any penalty.
I still don't like it because I know what's gonna happen.
For the city space that we use, they gonna make sure it's up to code, they gonna
clean it, gonna make sure the grass cut.
They gonna every, do everything to suffice the city, 'cause we're paying the
rents. It, it just financially makes no
sense. And while we be talking about the billions of dollars debts we in,
part of that debt I feel like is because we rent out
spaces instead of letting our own.
And you said something that I'm really disturbed about.
You said these bu- the bus- the buildings that we own that are not
doing anything, we left because they're too expensive to get back
together. That says a lot about our ethics and morals, because we would sell
it to somebody knowing it's in bad disrepair.
That's, that's not okay. That's all I got. Thank you, Chairman.
You're welcome. Um,
so, so, so Ms. Elise, are you able to provide that through the chair, the
information that, Alderman Taylor?
Yeah, I can get a list together of all of our leased spaces.
Okay. Do you need clarification on what she's requesting? You got it?
Yeah.
Okay.
I got it.
Okay. Um,
I, I, I would, I, I would like to
request, that
at some point within the next some month or so,
that we
m- members of the, members of the body, you know, meet with you
and kind of sit down and strategize behind this, because I, I
wholeheartedly agree, with, with this.
Um, I think we... And it may be, it may be
something that we need, you need our help with.
Um, you said that the, the owner, that's what he
negotiated,
3.6 million. I, th- I, I,
I think we need to negotiate better or or, or something.
I, I, I think... I, I, I hesitate to say that
this appears that, that, that he's taking advantage of
us, but I don't know all the, the other parts to this.
So I, I wanna better understand that because,
Alderman Taylor said something very key.
You know, we're struggling with this, with this, with this debt,
this deficit a- and imbalance in our budget.
Um, I think there are some other things from an efficiency standpoint, or just,
just some be- better strategic planning when it come to financial
matters. In all our departments we need to, we need to be more
diligent about. So
I would welcome to sit down, and I, and I can tell by the look in your face you
would love to sit down with me as well.
All right. I look forward to, having more discussion around this.
Likewise.
Any, any, any more, any, Alderman,
Robinson?
Fuentes? All right. So,
can I get a motion to recommend approval of this item?
Alderman Fuentes so moves. All those in favor say aye.
All those opposed, nay. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have
it. The do pass recommendation for this ordinance will be reported out on the
next city council meeting on March 18th,
2026. All right, moving right
along. Uh, the rest of the items on today's agenda are
from the Department of Planning and Development.
Item 7,
0202, ordinance
2026-0023308,
sale of city-owned property at 4627 South Prairie Avenue to
Jacob the Builder, Inc., under shy block platform, Third
Ward. Thomas Bellino from the Department of Planning and Development is
present to testify on behalf of this ordinance.
All right.
Hi. Uh, good afternoon, I think. Yep. Good afternoon.
Uh, my name is Thomas Bellino. I'm here from Department of Planning and
Development, recommending the passage of,
four land sales, all to, sale
of, four city-owned parcels, all to, Jacob the
Builder, who is, represented by, Joseph
Dosher. Um, so I'll be repeating myself a lot, because
these are all very similar, but they are four separate
sales. Uh, so the first one is, at
4627 South Prairie. Um, it
is in, the, the Third Ward, and we have a letter of
support from Alderman Dowell from January.
Um, it's in Grand Boulevard, and the applicant,
Jacob the Builder, is, offering the market value
for the parcel, which is
$76,400.Um, you can
see the site there, next to an
existing building and next to another vacant lot.
Um, it is zoned RM5, you can see on the
zoning map there.
Um, and you can see that the lot is
23.3 feet wide which is, pretty
narrow for a city lot or f- yeah, for a city lot, so it
is a narrower designed building. Um, and there's
the, front elevation there. Um, he's proposing a construction of
a three-unit building. Um, and there's some
detailed project financials there.
A site plan here on the left is Prairie Avenue, and on the
right is the alley. Uh, you can see there that there's a parking
pad for two parking spaces. Um, the third,
or it's not wide enough for a third one as we would normally
see. Um, there's the front and side elevations,
and rear and the other side. Uh, these are the floor
plans. I'm happy to go into any detail about that if,
if you'd like to. Um, so, yeah, that's all I
have for this one. Happy to answer any
questions.
Um, you started discussing this is not a standard city
lot as far as size is concerned.
Correct. It's a little narrower, yeah.
Right. And there's no, there's no stipulations from a ordinance
standpoint that precludes us from building on non-standard city
lots?
No. Uh, there, there's zoning, you know, requirements, and
the, the proposed design meets those requirements.
Um, the side setback is what would, you know, come into play
here, and he has met those side setback requirements.
Okay. I guess the fact that this was vacant land, he designed the
variances accordingly to accommodate the, the differences.
Right. Yeah.
Okay. Okay.
Normally we'd see like a slightly different design, but because it is
narrower, that was factored in.
Okay. All right. I know, I know Alderman Dow is extremely
astute with this, so I'm sure she covered all that in-
She definitely does her due diligence, yes.
Okay. Uh-
And I'm on the line here, Chairman.
I know you didn't know I was
here yet.
All right. Nothing, nothing bad about you.
Okay. Please count me towards quorum,
and, I ask for the committee's approval
for this matter and the next one for-
Okay
... for Mr. Duchesne.
Yes.
Okay. Um, so at this time let me,
I, I, I, I accept a motion, to
allow, Chairman Dow participation under Rule 59.
Can... So moved by Alderman Metz. All those in favor say
aye. Opposed, no. Any opinion, Chair, the, the
ayes have it. All right. Um, Chairman, would you like
to, to speak on this item?
No, thank you, Chairman. I just said, that I
ask for the committee's consideration and approval for this,
project. I'm excited to have... Mr.
Duchesne has built in our community, previously, and
we, we like his product and look forward
to, more housing production from him.
Thank you.
Okay, okay. All right. Can I get a, a motion to recommend approval of this item?
Uh, Alderman Metz so moves. All those in favor say aye.
opinion, all those nay, opposed say nay.
Any opinion, Chair, the ayes have it.
The do not pass recommendation for this ordinance will be reported out at the next
city council... Oh, I'm sorry. The do pass recommendation of
this ordinance will be reported out at the next city council meeting on March
18th. Uh, item eight, ordinance
2026-0023309,
sale of city-owned property at 4822 South St.
Lawrence Avenue to Jacob the Builder Inc.
under shy block platform, 4th Ward.
Thomas Bellino from the Department of Planning and Development is present to
testify on behalf of this ordinance.
Thank you. Uh, so, Tom Bellino again from,
DPD, requesting the,
the, passage of ordinance,
authorizing sale of city-owned land at 4822 South St.
Lawrence Avenue. Um, this one is in the 4th Ward, and we
have a letter of support from Alderman Robinson
from, January. Uh, similar to the last
one, the, applicant, Joseph Duchesne from Jacob the
Builder, he is offering, the market value price, which
is $59,400, 546.
Um, you can see the, the site there.
It's that parcel in the middle where there, back when this picture was taken, there
was a sign there, but it is now, cleared.
Um, the zoning is RM-5, and, you can see
the, the zoning and satellite map there.
Uh, the, this is a standard width city lot.
Uh, I believe it's a, yeah, completely standard city lot, 25 by
125. Um, again, the same architect,
Hanna Architects, and same developer proposing,
construction of a three-unit masonry building and a garage with parking
for three vehicles. There's, detailed project financials
there. Uh, site plan, you can see on the left is the
street, and on the right is the alley with the
garage. So the front and rear and side
elevations, as well as the floor plans,
and the, the f- third floor there. Uh, happy to answer any questions
or, or go back to anything that you might wanna see.
And I should mention that, Joseph is in attendance here if you have any
questions for him specifically.
Just so we know, Joseph, can you please stand up so I can see who you are?
All right. Okay. Um,
could you go back to the, the, the stack?
The, the, the, yeah, the financing piece.
Oh, this one. Yeah.
Uh,
so this is 100% brick.
Yeah, the-there's-- That's correct, Joseph, right?
The-the-the side, the-or the front
face brick goes back to the sides a few feet.
Um, so there's two different types of brick, the face brick on the front and the
side brick on the side.
You can go back to the one piece though.
Yeah. You could see the... Here we go.
You could see where that, the color, the sort of gradient change is there.
It's where the face brick becomes the side brick.
It's pretty standard for buildings in Chicago that
they use more expensive brick on the front of the building, 'cause that's,
you know, ninety percent of people who see it, probably ninety-nine point nine
percent, and then the side is a more cost-effective
brick.
The-the reason that drew my attention, because I know a lot of builders
in certain areas of Chicago, they don't have the-- the-the-the
sale price would not support brick all the way around.
So that's why-
Yeah
... the question I... But I am curious, when you say two types of brick, are you
able to kinda give us a quick
spill on what's the different types?
'Cause only p-thing about bricks I thought was color.
Some-
No
... you know what I mean?
I don't-- Okay, okay, here we go. So in the front, what I have is a, they
call it modular brick. It's like face brick, it's more colorful brick.
The side, that's CMU. That's just your standard, block
brick. It's-
Masonry brick.
Yeah.
Okay.
Masonry brick. We do that on the sides because, you know, you know,
pretty much you don't really see it, and there's another building that'll be
developed right next to it. And the-the front and the rear is what you really
see, and, it-it's more cost effective to do it that way.
Okay.
Um, and so we-- that's pretty much typical in the
market every-what everybody's doing.
Okay.
No one's, no-no one will do-- N-no other developer
will put face brick or utility brick on the sides unless it's
a corner lot.
Okay.
So it give it that appeal.
A more decorative appearance.
Yeah. Right.
Okay.
So when it's, you know, in the middle of the block, buildings on the, the
adjacent sides, they don't, you know, it's not typical to do that.
Okay.
Yeah. The-the finish also is different, you know, on the face brick.
The finish is very smooth.
Mm-hmm.
And then on the side, it's a little rougher.
Right. Okay. No, it's this-- And
if-if-if-if Alderman Dow says it's a great product, I-
This one's Robinson, but he-
But-but same person
... is also supporting.
Right. So she's, it's... All right.
So, go... Oh, can you please, for
the record, clarify your name?
My name is Joseph Duchet.
The builder.
Yes. Yes, sir.
Tell me, good deal. Um, are there any questions
about, for, for this
project? All right. Uh, Alderman
Robinson, would you like to...?
I would also, agree with
my colleague,
Alderman Dow, that, I am, looking forward
to, working, with Joseph. He has
a-a track record. Um, we need to, fill
in a lot of the vacant lots in three and
four. Um, and we also need,
residents, particularly young people, to drive by and see
folk that look like them, building in their neighborhood.
And so I'm excited, about, Joseph and his
group, again, filling in a lot of the,
vacant lots, in the-- and the Fourth Ward.
So thank you very much.
All right. All right. Good project. Good project. Okay.
Uh, can I get a motion to recommend approval of this item?
Alderman Mitch so moves. All those in favor say aye.
All those opposed, nay. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have
it. The do pass recommendation of this ordinance will be reported out at the next
city council meeting on March eighteen, twenty twenty-six.
All right. Item nine, ordinance two zero two six zero zero
two three three zero six. Sale of city-owned property
at four thirty-three East Forty-Second Place to Jacob the Builder
Inc. under shy block, build a platform, Third Ward.
Thomas Bellino from the Department of Planning Development is present to testify on
behalf of this ordinance as well.
Thank you. Uh, Tom Bellino again from, DPD,
requesting, passage of an ordinance to authorize sale of city-owned
land at four thirty-three East Forty-Second Place.
Um, this one is back in the Third Ward, and we have a letter of support from
Alderman Dowell from January seventh.
Um, the applicant, Joseph Duchet of Jacob the Builder,
is offering the market rate price for the land, which is seventy-nine
thousand two hundred and eighteen dollars.
Um, this is part of a coordinated, sale
of city-owned land on the same block to two different
applicants, Joseph having the-the
western three parcels and, a different
applicant, Bonita Harrison,
having further east on the block. Um, but I'm just
requesting, authorization for one of
these, which is four thirty-three.
Um, you can see there the, the site location.
It is a few blocks from the, Forty-Third Street Green Line
station, just east of Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard.
Uh, you can see the, the street view there.
It's that parcel highlighted in red.
And the, applicant is proposing construction of a
three-unit rental masonry building and garage parking for three
cars. Um, the architect is the same
as, one of the previous ones, as well as a future one.
Um, we've got, project financials there, site plan with the
street on the left and the alley on the right, the front
and side facade there,
side and rear facade there.Uh, floor plans
for the first and second-- sorry, for the garden and first floor
and the second and third floors. Happy to go back and/or
answer any questions.
All right. Seems like all questions are asked.
But one quest- one thing I would like to know, I don't know if it showed up on the
financials, what is the anticipated rent for these
units?
That we do not, we don't ask the developer, and we
don't include in the presentation.
But he is here, so if he has, an
estimated rent that he expects to collect from the units,
uh... Joseph, do you have that?
Well-
Uh, please state your name.
Excuse me?
State your name for the record.
Joseph Duchet.
Mm-hmm.
Well, for these type of units with the, amenities that I
provide, the room count is
five-three-two, five rooms, three bedrooms, two full
baths. These units come with a washer,
dryer, all appliances, a dishwasher,
microwave, stove, refrigerator.
Mm-hmm.
So
my units are the individual heating and cooling.
Mm-hmm.
These units are set up for the,
the homeowner to just move right in.
And so the market rents for
property, apartments like this are, are usually typically between
twenty-five hundred and maybe three thousand dollars.
So we kinda fitting there but-- And you get parking
also. Electric vehicle level two charging in the garage.
So there's a lot of amenities for these, and, those are the market rents that
people are paying currently right now.
And they are for both three and four-bedroom units-
Yeah
... which these buildings contain a mix of?
Yeah.
Now, I want to know those numbers. I'm trying to, I'm trying to count your, count
your money.
Oh, my goodness. You too?
All right, man, no. Good, good deal. Good deal. All right.
Are there any questions from members of the body?
All right, can I get a motion for approval to recommend approval of this item?
Alderman Burnett so moves. All those in favor say aye.
All those opposed say nay. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have
it. The do pass recommendation of this ordinance will be reported out at the next
city council meeting on March eighteenth, twenty
twenty-six.
Item ten, ordinance two zero two six zero zero two
three three one zero. Sale of city-owned property at forty-nine
forty-one South Forest View Avenue to Jacob the Builder Inc., Shy
Block Platform, Fourth Ward. Thomas Bellino from the Department of
Planning and Development is present to testify on behalf of this ordinance.
Take it away.
Thank you. Uh, Tom Bellino again from DPD, requesting an
ordinance to authorize the sale of city-owned land at forty-nine forty-one South
Forest Ville Avenue. Uh, we are back in the Fourth Ward, and we
have a letter of support from Alderman Robinson from last
month. Uh, the applicant, Joseph Duchet of Jacob the
Builder, is offering the market rate price of fifty-eight
thousand three hundred and eighty-four dollars.
Uh, you can see the site there is between two existing
buildings. Uh, the zoning is RM-five.
And, you can see there the rendering of the project, construction
of a three-unit rental masonry building and garage parking
for three cars. The architect is the same.
Uh, these are the project financials.
The site plan here with the street on the left and the alley on the
right. Uh, the front and side facade
elevations there, and the other side and the
rear. Floor plan of the, garden level and
first floor, and the floor plans of the second and third floors.
I'm happy to go back and/or answer any
questions.
All right. Are there any questions from members of the body?
All right. With no questions, can I get a motion to recommend approval of this
item? Ald- Alderman Hoppenworth so moves.
All those in favor say aye. All those opposed nay.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
The do pass recommendation of this ordinance will be reported out at the next city
council meeting on March eighteenth, twenty twenty-six.
Uh,
item eleven, ordinance two zero two six zero zero two three
three one four. Sale of city-owned property at sixteen
forty-four West Thirty-fifth Street, to Neighbor Space under Shy
Block Platform, Eleventh Ward. Meg
Gustafson. Hey, Meg. From the Department of Planning and
Development is present to testify on behalf of this ordinance.
Take it away.
Thank you. For the record, Meg Gustafson, Department of Planning and Development.
Um, I have three land sales before you today.
Uh, the first one is sixteen forty-four West Thirty-fifth
Street. Um, you may have heard, the
group that, is buying this lot,
testify earlier today. Um, this is a sale to Neighbor
Space. Marshfield Courts is the name of the site.
It's approximately six- or fifty-five thousand--
fifty-five hundred square feet. Um,
because this is an open space, we sell it at ten percent of market
value, so the land sale will be about thirty-three hundred
dollars. Um, it's located on 35th
Street.
And here is their site plan. Um, this garden and skate
park actually already exists, so we're formalizing this garden.
Um, their budget is, for now, just the cost of the
land. Um, but they will be phasing in some updates and
changes. Um, here's some photos of the site as it
is. Um,
and, as you heard earlier, this features a skate
park and a free little library, as well, as well as an art gallery and some
murals.
Um, I'm happy to answer any questions.
Thank you.
All right. Thank you. Are there any questions, from the members of the
body?Okay.
Can I get a motion to recommend approval?
So move, Alderman Ma- Hoppenworth so moves.
All those in favor say aye. All those opposed say nay.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
The due pass recommendation of this ordinance will be reported out at the next city
council meeting on March 18th, 2026.
Item 12, ordinance
two-zero-two-six-zero-zero-two-three-three-one-five, sale of
city-owned property at 633 West 48th Street to
Valerie Sim- Simotas under Shy Block
platform, 15th Ward, Meg Gu- Gusta-
Gustaf- Gustafson from the Department of
Planning and Development is present to testify on behalf of this item.
This ordinance.
Great. Thank you. Again, for the record, Meg Gustafson, Department of
Planning and Development. Um, this is a land sale at
633 West 48th Street. Um, it is in
the s- 15th Ward. We have a letter of support from Alderman
Lopez. Um, Valerie Simotas lives on the
block, and she plans to do a community garden.
Um, it's approximately a three thousand square foot site, a
twenty-two by one-twenty-five lot, that is currently
vacant. Ten percent of market value would be about twelve hundred
dollars.
Um, here is the zoning map, showing the
site. And here is Valerie's site
plan. Uh, she plans and is required to
fence it, and then plans to build, a
dog-friendly area and,
some raised, garden beds and
seating. Uh, her budget is
approximately ten thousand dollars.
Um, and she has also garnered support from other people on the block, and lives
on the block. And that concludes my presentation for this one, now I can take any
questions.
Um,
Alderman Hoppenworth.
Thank you. Is Valerie here?
You know, I don't think she... I have not seen her.
I did talk to her, this week, though.
Um, and I can get back to you with any questions if, that you may have-
Okay
... for her specifically.
Thank you. Thank you. I was just curious how the
dog-friendly area is gonna work out with the-
Good question
... garden area.
Yes.
That is exactly the same thing I was wondering.
Because she said that, is there some type of
ordinance or some type of formal process or something
formal she needs to follow to make it do- 'cause the first thing I'm thinking about
is the waste.
Right.
Yeah.
Um, great question. I can follow up through the chair on that.
I think she's envisioning this of just a few neighbors that she
knows, you know, while she's there.
This is not necessarily open to anyone all the
time. You know, this is still privately owned land.
This is not a public garden like a Neighbor Space garden is.
This is, someone buying a c- a community garden on her
block. And so I don't know, what her
hours of operation would be- ... et cetera.
Um, and I think in this kind of case, we rely on the
neighbors to, to say if something's not working, and go to their alderman
and, and-
Mm-hmm
... work it out with, with the people on the block.
But-
Yes
... that could be, it could be an issue. You're right.
I could see that, um-
Thank you, Chair
... becoming an issue, and I'll let her know you asked.
This is in 15, so I know Alderman Lopez will do his due
diligence. All right. Uh,
if, if there, if there are no more questions on this item, can I get a motion
to, recommend approval? Alderman Ma- Hoppenworth so moves.
All those in favor say aye. All those opposed, nay.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
The due pass recommendation of this ordinance will be reported out at the next city
council meeting on March 18th, 2026.
Um, at the request of the department, we will hold item thirteen in committee until
further notice. Item fourteen, ordinance
two-zero-two-six-zero-zero-two-three-three-one-seven, sale of
city-owned property at thirty-five forty through thirty-five forty-six
North Amondale, to Brian and Audrey Carl on the Shy
Block plat- Shy Block Builder platform, 30th
Ward. Meg Gustafson from the Department of Planning
and Development is present to testify on behalf of the ordinance. Pardon me.
Okay. No, that's, that's fine.
I'm getting better.
Thanks. Um, hi again. Meg Gustafson, Department of
Planning and Development. Uh, Gustafson is al- I'll also accept that.
Um,
this is a land sale to the adjacent neighbors, thirty-five
forty through forty-six North Avondale.
Um, it's approximately, twenty-eight hundred square
feet, and the reason this is not a side yard land sale is because there's two
pins, and side yards only allow for the sale of one pin.
But the, applicants own and live next
door. When they bought the house in,
2000,
2020, it was already fenced and sort of functioning as their
side yard. Um, so we wanna formalize this and sell them these two
pins for ten percent of market value, which would be about eight thousand
dollars. Um, these are non, not buildable
lots. They are adjacent to the
expressway. Here, I'll go back to this site.
Um,
and we have aldermanic support.
Here's, the existing conditions here.
Um, their budget is, approximately,
eight thousand dollars for the sale, and they just plan to add
more flowers and keep up the maintenance of the existing
property. Thank you very much.
Okay. Um, just to refresh our memory, could you give the,
the, the stipulations behind purchase of city-owned
land?
Uh, yes. Um, when you apply for side yards and
open space, I can start with that, through the Shy Block Builder website,
you have to provide, for open space, you provide a
landscape plan. Um, both of those require
fencing. Um, and-You're allowed
to, bid at ten percent of market value.
That's as low as we go for the side yards and open space.
Um, for market rate, Thomas w- just showed you a bunch of
those. Those were a competitive process.
And, the builder has to
provide, their capital stack with the funding
and budget along with,
their plans, and we don't sell market rate vertical development
until you have a building permit. So,
those have an extra step of the bui- so that we
are trying to discourage any kind of land banking and people holding onto land
and, and not building. Um, the open space and side
yards are a little bit different, and they're not as...
We, we prefer as a department vertical development.
Um, and then some unbuildable lots and community
garden type spaces we wanna support by reducing the
cost to ten percent of market value.
Yeah.
And our next, Chi Block builder round opens, April
first.
Oh.
There'll be about seven hundred lots for sale.
Add a plug in there. Um, how, how, how long
do the owners have to hold it before they can sell?
Uh, for side yards and open space, it's five
years.
Okay. And, and then you mentioned they have to put a non-combustible fence around
it.
Um, yes, per, the code. I'm not sure-
How do we enforce that?
Yes. I'm not sure it's-- How do we enforce that?
Um, at the closing, we say they have a hundred and twenty days-
Yeah
... to build it. Um, and
if
they are not taking care of the lot, there are
many steps we would take before we, enact the reverter
clause. But we do have a reverter clause in extreme circumstances.
Okay. Have we ever had to in-invoke it?
I think we've done one.
Okay.
Uh, but it's, it's very rare. Um, especially if it's been more
than five years, we, we'd encourage them to sell it or come up to
code and just, um... Yeah. But w- they can be fined,
or, penalized in that way for
not complying. Yeah.
Okay. Are there any questions, on this item?
All right. Can I get a motion from Alderman Mitts
to recommend approval of this item?
All those in favor say aye. All those opposed, nay.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
The do pass recommendation of this ordinance will be reported out at the next city
council meeting on March eighteenth, twenty twenty-six.
We made it, guys. There being no further business before the committee, can I get a
motion to recommend approval to adjourn? Mona Hoppenworth.
A-Alderman Hoppenworth so moves. I love your name.
Uh, all those in favor say aye. All those opposed, nay.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.
The meeting of the Committee on Housing and Real Estate is adjourned.
Thank you all.
Sure.