Hotel given 60 days to clean up violations
City attorney tells judge receivership not necessary for Wilson Men’s Hotel
By LORRAINE SWANSON, Editor
Twenty residents acting as court advocates attended a May 29 hearing in Cook County Circuit Court last week concerning a troubled transient hotel which they claim has negatively affected the quality of life in the Uptown neighborhood.
Inspectors from the Chicago Department of Buildings turned up 44 code violations in January at the Wilson Men's Hotel at 1124 W. Wilson Ave. Further inspections of the hotel last week found more violations as a privately hired maintenance crew worked to clean up the building before the court hearing, a hotel resident reported.
Jay Bomberg, president of Bomberg Property Management, which manages the building, appeared in court to address the code violations. Bomberg told News-Star in an e-mail that he acquired the Wilson Men's Hotel last September. The owner of the residential hotel is listed as Bachelor Properties, according to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.
Read the rest of the story here.
City attorney tells judge receivership not necessary for Wilson Men’s Hotel
By LORRAINE SWANSON, Editor
Twenty residents acting as court advocates attended a May 29 hearing in Cook County Circuit Court last week concerning a troubled transient hotel which they claim has negatively affected the quality of life in the Uptown neighborhood.
Inspectors from the Chicago Department of Buildings turned up 44 code violations in January at the Wilson Men's Hotel at 1124 W. Wilson Ave. Further inspections of the hotel last week found more violations as a privately hired maintenance crew worked to clean up the building before the court hearing, a hotel resident reported.
Jay Bomberg, president of Bomberg Property Management, which manages the building, appeared in court to address the code violations. Bomberg told News-Star in an e-mail that he acquired the Wilson Men's Hotel last September. The owner of the residential hotel is listed as Bachelor Properties, according to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.
Read the rest of the story here.
Sebastian Patty is the judge. Isn't he the gay judge Shiller endorsed for his seat? Not that it should matter but.....
ReplyDeleteYou can see the writing on the wall. According to hin, the problem is that it is a hotel. It needs to be an SRO with services. To become an SRO with services it needs zoning variances and funding. Just like three other buildings within spitting distance. And, next he will want TIF funds to pay for the remodeling. And Helen will graciously bestow our funds upon him.
ReplyDeleteUptown is a wonderful neighborhood for all of its diversity. I learn new and strange words that are almost never said here. One word I heard just the other day was "accountability".
ReplyDeleteNow that's a word most of us never hear in this neighborhood.
Speaking of accountability, I love it that Obama got nominated for Prez. It will force local politicians to hear what the rest of the country already knows when it comes to politics in the city, county, and state. The Trib and Sun-Times know but their memory goes blank right before every election.
You are 100% right, 1:38. I guess Helen and the City had to wait so long to ensure adequate living conditions here until there were TIF zones to fund what should have been landlord-funded maintenance all along. But, y'all read the COURAJ flyer---landlords have few responsibilities to the community except keeping places cheap (oh, and laughing all of the way to the bank until they can flip their properties!)
ReplyDeleteI can't in good conscience be against the long overdue efforts to clean this place up. It is right for the residents and should have positive effects for the surrounding community. But we see the plan here: TIF money will go for housing and Joan Arai. It is assumed that economic development will happen on its own.
A hotel resident who spoke to News-Star after it was over stated that he woke up to the smell of cleaning materials the day before the hearing.
ReplyDelete"Cleaning the hotel is something [the property managers] never do," the resident said. "They were cleaning because the [city] inspectors were coming."
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That is my favorite part!
I wouldn't be surprised if Helen gives him TIF funds to clean this place up - which is absolutely ludicrous. Mr. Bomberg should use his own money to fix this place up.
ReplyDeleteIf Shiller keeps giving TIF funds away, how they heck will anything be built on Wilson Yard (not that I have a problem with it being empty for now)?
TIF money is supposed to be used to facilitate development that would not otherwise occur. Helping the Wilson Club Hotel for Men become an SRO with needed support services meshes with that mission perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThe discussions on this blog focused first on the residents’ behavior on the street and their impact on retail. Then it turned to the conditions inside and how no one should have to live like that. Now it’s, “Sure we want a supported SRO model implemented here, we just don’t want to pay for it.” Perhaps I am imagining it but it sure looks like the goal posts keep moving.
My ideal goal is to get rid of the Hotel all together. I don't want it fixed up, I want it torn down because it attracts criminals or ex-cons to the neighborhood and as a condo owner with kids I want the neighhorhood to improve not remain a haven for criminals!
ReplyDelete245 men at $225 per month is $44,225 -or over $500,000 year to have chicken wire - This is how we exploit the poor - this is so typical of the shiller and democratic liberals - btw how many votes were cast from this hotel in the last election?
ReplyDeletejay you are a proverty pimp and may the karma of proverty pimps echo on your soul
sebastian patti should have recused himself from this case as he is a known shiller supporter - prehaps we should notify the media -
ReplyDeleteMs. Sebastian is also a democrat -
Nope. That is putting words into the TIF Study Mouth, so to speak. The purpose of the TIF is to eliminate the blight identified in the TIF study.
ReplyDeleteThe blight identified in the TIF study is:
Blight #1. Building Deterioration on TAX PAYING properties and
Blight #2 Inadequate Utilities comprised of 24 of 34 blocks having antiquated water mains and sewers and 614 0f 819 parcels having antiquidated water mains
Blight #3.Structures below minimum codes
Blight Codes exclude housing and building maintainence codes. Blight Codes include zoning, subdivision, building, fire, and other governmental codes applicable to property.
Blight #4. Lack of EVA Growth.
As we have pointed out many times before. Giving all the TIF money to non-profits and goverment progjects that do not pay tax will not increase the property tax base.
Supporting Blight #1. Deleterious Land Use
These limit the development opportunities in key area of Wilson Yard
Found in Three Areas:
1.Arai Middle School
a.Deleterious street layout
b.Lack of buffering from residences Wilson, Sheridan, Leland, Clarendon
c.Closed Streets Leland / Eastwood allow traffic from Sheridan& dead end into school walkways. Cause unsafe pedestrian vehicle movement.
2.Truman College
a.South & Southwest side lack buffering from residences
b.South & Southwest side incompatible land use relations
c.Sunnyside – Racine intersection not controlled.
d.Signage is lacking to control heavy pedestrian vehicle traffic
3.Broadway Corridor - Montrose to Leland
i.irregular shaped parcels, shallow lot depths
ii.businesses located under El tracks and shadowed
1.poor lighting
2.poor visibility to customers
iii.5-Way intersection Montrose, Sheridan, Broadway, - car turns
iv.3-Way intersection at Broadway, Kenmore, Sunnyside car turns
v.thus, insufficient vehicle access & aggravate traffic hazards
The existence of incompatible land-use relationships, buildings occupied by inappropriate mixed uses, or uses considered to be noxious, offensive, or unsuitable for the surrounding areas.
Supporting Blight #2 Lack of Community Planning
Evidence: antiquated water lines, deleterious street layouts, lack buffering. Parcels assembled into lots that are irregular and shallow, don’t meet today’s standard
The legal reason for a TIF is to invest in the community today to increase the tax base in the future. This concept appears to be lost on this alderwoman who, like Governor Blago, believes allocated funds are a big piggy-bank to divert to friends and favorite causes instead of infrastructure.
All this is so sickening. Almost make me want to vote, gulp, Republican... Thanks all you city crooks for making Democrats look so bad.
ReplyDeleteActually, I know Judge Patti well. He is not a Shiller supporter (also has never given her money) and he is especially supportive of court advocates.
ReplyDeleteMy ideal goal is to get rid of the Hotel all together.
ReplyDeleteFrom previous comments: "Per Judy Dever, the atty on the case, the plan is not to close down the hotel, but to make it better."
If the hotel's owner and management can improve the conditions for the men inside, and cooperate with the community in meeting our concerns, then I don't have a problem with "better."
We've heard better before. Do you really believe that this is the very first time that the city has realized that these men live in chicken wire cages and filth and housing code violations to the extreme? Don't you think the firemen and police that are in and out of there all the time have eyes? And didn't this place get alot of attention when men died there during the Chicago heat crisis?
ReplyDeleteWhat about the last several times this building went to court?
Nothing, always nothing.
@1:07 - agreed.
ReplyDeleteIf there's any public (non-TIF) funding going towards this establishment, and they can be good, responsible and respectful members of the community - fine.
If not - screw 'em.
Either offer a positive contribution to rest of the community (ie - give the tax payers SOME sort of return on our investment), or go find yourself another community (I hear San Fran is pretty hip).
As for the comment regarding the Chicago Democrats, these aren't Democrats, they're crooks with donkey umbrellas.
I won't be voting for ANY Chicago based democrat until this mess is cleaned up.
And that goes for the most popular product of the Chicago Democratic Machine.
Anon 1:28 -- All I'm saying is (1) people who want this place to close are out of luck, as the chief attorney for the city has stated that this is not the aim of the housing court case, and (2) I want and expect better conditions for the residents and community.
ReplyDeleteI've been in Uptown a long time and I know nothing has happened before, but "try, try again."
The community has never been this active or vocal before.
Jay Bomberg didn't own the hotel before, and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves he doesn't deserve it.
Just because attempts have failed in the past, or because conditions have been abysmal for a long, long time -- doesn't mean it's going to fail this time. It may, and then the community is going to have to start all over again. But I have faith that the Wilson Club Hotel will be better. Not great, not gone, but "better."
If I've learned anything from living here, it's "never give up." Because Uptown is changing and we're all aboard for the ride.
Who the hell is Judy Dever - our city attorney - to come into court with her own plan to make the building better and not close it down -- before the case is even heard by the judge? Decisions like that should come before the judge, not be decided before they reach the judge.
ReplyDeleteBut that is our city prosecutors for you. They pre-determine outcomes by deciding not to fully prosecute cases. And that is where the political influence comes into play. Shiller wasn't late to court that day, she'd already been there before the case began. And, it showed.
My old file notes say that this Wilson Men's Hotel building was in court with the Corp Counsel in October 1998 when it was owned by Sean Derrig and Meg Gillman was working at the 23rd District Neighborhood Relations Office at that time also.
ReplyDeleteThe issue was maintaining a hotel with a Public Disorder 4-208-080.
Sean was being advised of the ways to document that he was working with police proactively to avoid further Corp Counsel actions.
So the News Star Headline should actually read, " Hotel Given 60 days in addtion to 10 Years to Clean Up Violations."
ReplyDeleteMy ideal goal is to get rid of the Hotel all together. I don't want it fixed up, I want it torn down because it attracts criminals or ex-cons to the neighborhood and as a condo owner with kids I want the neighhorhood to improve not remain a haven for criminals!
ReplyDeleteIf you get rid of the hotel, where do you think those people are going to go? They are going to be out on the streets they know.
If we have the hotel fix itself up and be a good place for those people to live, they won't be on the street. Also, not everyone that lives there are convicts or criminals. There are a bunch of seniors that live there. I believe the statistic is that about 50% of the tenants live on the 1st floor as they can't make it up to the other floors.
Who the hell is Judy Dever - our city attorney - to come into court with her own plan to make the building better and not close it down -- before the case is even heard by the judge? Decisions like that should come before the judge, not be decided before they reach the judge.
I would say she is a veteran attorney with a much better sense for her job, the judge's job, and the system works. She said that they weren't aiming to close the hotel because of Chicago's policy on getting the homeless off the street. SRO's are the first step out of homelessness and the city is not going to close them down. Obviously you weren't there at the court hearing to hear Judy talk to us about what the city is trying to do and how much Jay is working with them. I took time off of work to be there. It is too bad not everyone else could.
Wow. You Uptowner activists are a bunch of fucking yahoos. Seriously debating over the shithole at 1124 W. Wilson. Ha!
ReplyDeleteThis city has seen major improvements over the last 20 years thanks to gentrification and all you idiots want to resist it. Well, you reap what you sew.
Uptown is sitting on the brink of becoming a great neighborhood where any hardworking citizen would love to move to and raise a family. But it'll never happen because of Schiller, the "activists", and their ilk.
The major problem with Uptown, is that the actual citizens (ie home and business owners) have no voice. They're ignored because they are made to feel guilty for their good fortune.
Uptown is the only neighborhood in the city where the "criminals" are the middle-class.
What a joke.
Landlords are held to federal laws that do not allow for discrimination when accepting lease applications. So, as a result they hardly ever turn down a prospective renter. This eventually leads to an apartment building filled with criminals and gangbangers.
Then when they decide to crack down on the crime in their buildings by working with the police and reporting their tenant's criminal activity, they're called racists and profilers.
Honestly, do uptown activists really expect building owners to operate at a loss?
Get real, get a job, and get a life.
Go back to the suburbs where you came from and leave the neighborhood problems up to the people that actually care about it and aren't just trying to further a political agenda.
Re: Judy Dever, the prosecutor making the decision to not close the hotel but to make it better. ie, to make it an SRO.
ReplyDelete"She said that they weren't aiming to close the hotel because of Chicago's policy on getting the homeless off the street. "
SRO's are the first step out of homelessness and the city is not going to close them down.
Obviously you weren't there at the court hearing to hear Judy talk to us about what the city is trying to do and how much Jay is working with them'"
Hell, I've been to plenty of them and for this building dating back to 1998.
Haven't you heard? 2008 is the Tenth Year of the Mayor's Plan Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. The city is supposed to be done creating new SRO's at this point. Everyone is supposed to be in or going into transitional housing by now.
And who decided that the only place to locate new SRO's and transitional housing was in the exact same location where shelters and cubicle hotels used to operate? These new forms of SRO's and transitional housing required different kinds of building infrastructure because they bundled in servics and on-site service providers that require parking, and loading docks, and green space, none of which ----in case you have not noticed --- exists at any of Uptown's shelters or flop hotels.
So, what happens next? Alderman Helen Shiller inevitably gives away a zoning change. Saint Helen eliminates the loading dock requirements - they can use the streets. Saint Helen eliminates the parking for workers requirements - they can use the streets. Saint Helen eliminates the set back and green space requirements - they can hang out on the sidewalks like they already do.
Then you get a mess like we have over at 4500 N Hazel where every day the street is block because there is no alley or loading docks for trucks to unload supplies for the four low income housing buildings that have transitioned to feeding programs. You have Wilson Care resident and Community Housing Partner residents sitting on the sidewalks and dumpsters.
Look at Wilson Avenue. It has no rear alley. So, think what it will be like with trucks double parked in front of Truman College unloading food for the Wilson Hotel feeding program, cars turing left into the new Truman student parking garage, cars turning god-knows-where into the the new CTA park-&-ride facility, and let's not forget the new bike lane and the Jesus People school added to Wilson this year. Do you really think our esteemed prosecutor took any of our traffic and infrastructure needs into consideration when she, alone, by herself, in her superior legal wisdom, made the decision without community input to turn a cubicle hotel into another form of housing?
Nope, don't think so.
As WE LAWYERS say, she's out of bounds.
"If you get rid of the hotel, where do you think those people are going to go? They are going to be out on the streets they know."
ReplyDeleteThat's fear-mongering BS. The vast majority of the residents (and consumers of social services in the area) came here from somewhere else in the first place. They'll go to the next place where they can get food, shelter or, as is unfortunately the case in far too many instances, the substances that they abuse. If the Hotel were to close down, they won't be wandering the Uptown streets like zombies.
On an unrelated note, and I only post it here because it seems folks seem to know what is going on with properties.. .Does anyone know what the status is of 1001 W. Leland at the corner of Leland and Sheridan? Sorry to hijack this thread a bit...
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember that this building was also in Housing Court due to criminal activity and numerous code violations. The building rehab was supposed to be completed by some time in 2008 but it doesn't look like much is happening right now.
ReplyDelete