Wednesday, November 13, 2013

What's That Public Notice Say?


A reader writes:  "If you look closely, there is a "Public Notice" on the front door [of the 1896 Victorian home on Magnolia that is up for sale and rezoning/demolition]. It is public and notifies in form only as one would have to break the lock on the gate or jump the fence to be able to get close enough to read anything more than 'Public Notice.'"

If it's a request for upzoning the property for the purpose of demolishing it, which has been a controversial move in Sheridan Park, we hope the presumptive owners relocate the notice.  By law it needs to be posted where the public can read it.  Putting a "public notice" out of the eyesight of the public defeats the purpose, eh?

11 comments:

  1. I have longed for that house for as long as I've lived here. May one of us win the lottery and bring this beauty back so it can be a lovely family home again.

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    1. Can you or someone you know qualify for a 203K Rehab or Energy Efficient mortgage? They're both fantastic government programs with some of the lowest interest rates & down payments around.

      One of these programs could be combined with historic tax credits for a really affordable rehab. If you did green features you could get faster permits through the city Green Permit Program and maybe even end up with a certified house, which would have a higher market value.

      It sounds like you'd be a great resident whether owner or renter because you love the house!

      203K: http://1.usa.gov/gAEcC2

      Energy Efficient Mortgage: http://1.usa.gov/goklwq

      Historic tax credits: http://bit.ly/1byMzwY

      Chicago green permit program: http://bit.ly/KmRJgq

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  2. What an arrogant and blatant attempt to frustrate the transparency of the process. The owners should be very heavily fined and penalized to ensure that all Public Notices are indeed public in the future.

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  3. Someone is definitely arrogant, but it's not the potential buyer. I've said it before and I'll say it again: unless you plan on buying the place, myob. I would much rather have occupied apartments or condos with engaged neighbors than a pretty, empty house on the street.

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  4. I don't think it's very realistic to assume that it either must be a six flat building or an empty shell or that only a buyer has the right to determine how a property should be treated. If only life could be so simple!

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  5. It is, in fact, the only reality on the table. It is an empty, burned shell of a house and the reality is, no one has wanted to take it on. The idea that a bystander should have more say in the property than an owner or potential buyer is absurd and patronizing.

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  6. If it was an empty, burned shell of a house, then it would be condemned. Surrounding and neighboring property owners are not bystanders. That's why we have zoning laws and landmark committees to enable a community to decide how properties may be used.

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  7. Shall we convene the community and vote to turn your house into a park? Of course not. Get over yourself.

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    1. Somehow I think yours would be a minority opinion. I wouldn't be surprised though if my property was eventually designated a landmark, in which case, my options would be limited. It's part of owning a unique property like the house built in 1896 on Magnolia.

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  8. "occupied apartments or condos" do not equal "engaged neighbors". The building I live in is a condo building, but most of the units are rented out. We have a grill out back that the renters don't care to put the cover on. I've also only met one neighbor, my across the hall one, once, when we walked in together. Just because someone lives in a building doesn't mean they're "engaged neighbors" at all. They'd probably be more likely sequestered recluses who don't enhance the neighborhood I live in at all.

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