Small Kitten, Bigger Problem

If you read Uptown Update's Facebook page, you may have followed the saga of one, then two, then an entire family of kittens who were trapped inside the storefronts of the infamous "Mosa Building" (on Leland between Winthrop and Kenmore). The building has been a continuing frustration and topic of conversation on Uptown Update. Click here to access the articles, which will provide a history.

Little "Leland," pictured, was the last kitten out, today. A reader sent us this photo and says that Leland is just a small, cute symptom of the continuing problems that the building presents to the community:

"Several area neighbors have been trying to get in touch with the building manager, Attorneys, Receivership, adjacent and former tenants - all trying to get into the Sunil Mosa building at 1016 W. Leland to rescue a kitten that has been trapped for several days without food and water, and languishing near-death in the windowpane. This building is a death-trap, I can't believe there are still two businesses operating. The difficulty of getting a response from ANYONE accountable for this property underscores the danger of its continued existence. Anyone know when it's back in housing court again? It needs to be bulldozed before a HUMAN gets hurt - that's the only way anyone is going to give it serious attention."

Update:  For those worried, we hear that Leland is a "she," has been determined to be in good health, and has been privately adopted.  Now, if only the problems with the Mosa Building could be solved so handily.

"Mosa Building" Now In Receivership

We just got a notice from Truman Square Neighbors about the dilapidated "Mosa Building" at 1014-1036 West Leland:

"A Court-appointed Receiver has taken possession of the residential portion of the building and is boarding up windows and doorways to secure the building from further criminal activity. Apparently, this is the first step in fixing what has been a problematic building for several years.

We are hopeful this will be a step in the right direction to fix this building once and for all.  Many thanks go out to the neighbors who were able to attend the court case last week!"

When a building is in receivership, it's basically in the possession of a court-appointed lender. We're happy for the relatively quick action taken in this case, and hopeful that the building is stabilized and secure very soon.

For those just tuning in, the building has been a haven for squatters, prostitutes and druggies since it had a massive flood and was basically abandoned last December.  See here, here and here for past posts about the situation.

"Mosa Building" Gets Some TLC

The "Mosa Building," at 1014-1036 West Leland, has had quite a sordid history.  The past three years have included:  a broken water pipe that caused ceiling collapses and buckled floors and rendered most of the retail spaces uninhabitable; its use as a prostitution site and crack den; illegal condo conversions; every single residential unit going into foreclosure; another winter flood that turned the sidewalk outside into an ice rink; illegal condo resales; housing court; receivership; an absent owner; and even the rescue of kittens from inside its walls.

You can read more about this "bad luck building" here.

However, things seem to be looking up.  This past week neighbors noticed workers cleaning the filthy windows of the ground floor retail spaces and bringing in construction materials.  There's a large dumpster parked on the street in front of the building, indicating that large amounts of debris are being removed.  There's a building permit in the window which mentions plumbing and HVAC repairs and references a receiver.  We peeked in the window and saw that the warped floorboards have been removed and the original tile floor is once again visible.

Stay tuned!  We look forward to seeing what competent management can do with this blighted building.

Former Uptown Slum Owner Runs Siblings Bar Into The Ground

Interior of "Mosa Building," now in receivership

Right as the owners of Lawrence House try to get a liquor license, there's another story about a former Uptown slumlord who got one:

WEST ROGERS PARK — As neighborhood dive Siblings poured its last drink early Tuesday, the building's owners worked on plans to sell the building.

Siblings had come under pressure from both Chicago's alderman, Evanston's nearby alderman and the cities' police forces after neighbors complained about violence, noise and other unseemly behavior emanating from the bar.

[...] Jettner added that the bar's tenant, Sunil Mosa, had been eight months behind on rent, to the tune of $30,000.  "I think he just left the place to go to hell," he said.

Sunil Mosa ..... Mosa ..... where have we heard that name before?

Why, yes, he's the former owner of the "Mosa Building," at 1014-1036 West Leland.  The one that was illegally converted to condos.  The one that had two disastrous floods, forcing out retail tenants and endangering pedestrians.  The one that was taken over by a receiver and took a year of rehab and construction to become viable again.  You can read more about this years-long nightmare here.

Stories like this why we are so strongly against the Menettis getting another chance at a liquor license.  There is no crystal ball into the future.  But when an owner/landlord lets a property get so bad that the city, the aldermen, and receivers get involved, it's bad news for everyone.  It's a lot of time and money spent to turn around a building (in a city that is broke to begin with).  Can anyone point to any success stories in any Menetti-owned properties?  Does Uptown need another Siblings or Green Dolphin Street, both of which closed due to neighborhood complaints and violence?  Can a slumlord ever change his spots?

After The Deluge

We're seeing the sad, inevitable results of the flood of water that ran for several days out of the storefronts and condos in the "Mosa Building" at 1016-1032 Leland last Christmas time (see photos here):
Foreclosures, real estate auctions and every residential unit in the building unoccupied and for sale.

Not to mention the "crash pads" that local prostitutes, squatters and drug users have found in this nearly empty and easily accessed building.
It's another slum-in-the-making. It's already got a date in housing court, and we hope that's a quick process towards getting some action and redemption.
The five-years-in-housing-court-and-still-uninhabitable Sam Alexander Building (1001-1017) is right across the street from the flooded-ravaged "Mosa Building."
UU will post housing court dates when they occur and hopes one or two readers can come to each court hearing to make the judge aware that the community will do everything it can to ensure this one block of Leland doesn't become "Slumlord Row."

Throwing Good Money After Bad

Wow.  The Mosa building is like a bad penny: it just keeps on turning up.

Nearly a year after a housing court judge ruled that the building (1014-1036 W Leland) had been illegally converted to condos, and that individual units could no longer be sold... someone sold one!

In October, for the grand total of $1500. 

A good price, until you consider that there's no way the new "owner" can take possession.  The article in Curbed Chicago asks, "Is there something we're missing about this place?"  Our answer:  the Mosa Building is apparently Uptown's answer to the Brooklyn Bridge.  We hope anyone else interested in buying a non-existent unit in this building does due diligence before writing a check.

Court Advocates Call: Mosa Building

If you have the time and inclination to make it to the Daley Center Monday morning, the case involving the Mosa Building (1014-1036 West Leland) is on the docket at 9:30am. The presence of the court advocates shows community concern; although they are silent representatives, occasionally housing court judges enter their presence into the court records.

At the court hearing a month ago, the residential units were placed into receivership, which not only resulted in the building being secured, it also prevented unknowing home buyers from being able to purchase the units and continuing the cycle of throwing good money after bad. (Click on the link for a short history of the problems with this building.)

The hearing will be on the 11th floor of the Daley Center, in Courtoom 1109 or 1107 (we're getting conflicting reports). If you attend, just check the docket of cases posted on the bulletin board for the property courtroom.

Update: See the comments for a lengthy account of what happened at housing court today.

Mosa Building On Leland In Housing Court Monday

The building at 1018-1036 W Leland (aka the Mosa Building, aka the "slum in the making") begins its journey in Housing Court tomorrow, Monday. If you're around the Loop and want to be a court advocate on behalf of the concerned community, please stop by the Daley Center, Room 1109, at 9:30am.

Flooded With Memories

It was just about a year ago that the Mosa Building on Leland suffered a catastrophic flood, driving out some businesses and leading to the entire building going into foreclosure, ending up in Housing Court, and being put into receivership. Well, everything old is new again.

From a reader: "Several concerned neighbors have called about yet another flood at the former Mosa bldg. Police were on the scene moments ago [Sunday evening], trying to sort out whether responsibility lies in the hands of the new management company or the court-appointed stewards of the bldg ... or at least that's what I understood as a bystander."

Another reader tells us that police and firemen were on the scene for quite a while, trying to get into the building, presumably to stop the flood before the building suffered even more damage.

Let's hope that things turn out better this time, now that the building is in the hands of a receiver rather than an absentee landlord.

New Construction At 4415-23 North Clark

Construction has begun on the 4400 block of Clark on three empty lots that we've been watching for several years, from fire to "no entry" to teardown.

In autumn of 2012, a zoning change was applied for for the purpose of building 18 residential units with ground floor retail in a four-story building.

Last month the developer who had applied for the zoning change started work on the lots.  The work is being done by the same construction company that went in and fixed the flood-damaged "Mosa Building" on Leland and brought it up to code from the damages created by a slumlord who had illegally converted it to condos.

We'll watch and see what happens.  This block has been neglected for a long time and is finally starting to get some attention with the openings of Pecking Order and the new Black Ensemble Theater building.

Tonsorial Relief Coming To Uptown?

A reader sent in the photo to the right and says:  "Posted in the window of 1016 Leland is a Special Use permit to reopen a barbershop. 

Allegedly, the 46th Ward Master Plan done by the Alderman's office said 'No more barbershops in this area.' Not sure if that's true, but some nearby residents have been having some unsettling feeling about this as the previous barbershop apparently attracted a lot of loitering and litter outside."

Interesting!  1016 W Leland is one of the open storefronts in the infamous Mosa Building, which was run into the ground by a slumlord, culminating in a 2008 flood that ruined most of the retail shops downstairs.  The entire building ended up in Housing Court, where it was deconverted from illegally built condos back into rental units, and a receiver and new owner were found.  Most of the past year has been spent getting the building into livable and rentable space again.

Reflections Hair Salon was the previous tenant at 1016 W Leland.  It was forced out by the flood and moved around the corner, onto the 4700 block of Sheridan.

As for the 46th Ward master plan banning future barber shops, this is what it says under the section on Economic Development:   

• "In the Uptown area, the only general merchandise category that is saturated is Electronics/Appliance stores." 
• In the section detailing the responses to the alderman's 2011 survey asking residents what businesses they would, and wouldn't, like to see in the ward, it says in answer to the question "What types of businesses and services should not be recruited any longer?" that "Responses were geared toward fewer beauty salons & supply stores, nail salons, check cashing services, wholesale clothing/accessories, liquor stores, clinics, phone stores, thrift stores, and fast food."

As for nearby residents' fears about loitering and trash outside, obviously none of us has a crystal ball.  However, we tend to think that a responsible owner/landlord would be less tolerant of any situation like that arising than the previous slumlord.

We are cautiously optimistic that long-empty, ruined storefronts are finally getting some nibbles after being empty and a blight on the community since 2008.  Is a special use permit something that the alderman's Zoning and Development Committee would take under consideration?

Problem Buildings

Interior of "Mosa Building," now in receivership

ActionUptown, which offers solutions for Uptown and comes out of Ald. Mary Ann Smith's office, has a new blog entry about problem buildings and how to deal with them.  Read it here.

Anna of Green Gables, or The REST Of The Story

A reader writes:

"I was going thru all the public documents about crime in Uptown and came up with some really disturbing news. Between Everyblock.com, Newsworthy Arrests, the IDOC website and good detective work, I put two and two together and came up with drug dealing, prostitution, Uptown Baptist Church and the REST women's shelter.

All summer long I've been badgered by a really aggressive prostitute who has been working the Sheridan Rd corridor. I've seen her working every corner from Lawrence to Montrose, at all hours of the day and night. I've seen her take customers into the infamous Mosa building on Leland when it was still unsecured. Needless to say, she has had a few choice words for me when I have been calling 911 about her "activities." I thought she was just involved in prostitution until I saw this video of her involved in a hand-to-hand drug transaction.


The Classic Exchange from Joe Gray on Vimeo.

Now I know that she has been arrested for prostitution and that she has a name, and an extensive record for narcotics and prostitution.

Anna Green has been staying for months at the REST women's shelter in the basement of Uptown Baptist Church, which leads to so many questions:

Who is monitoring REST's clients? Why isn't the shelter concerned that Ms. Green is outside for hours at night and the early morning? Does REST have any accountability for their clients and the impact they are having on the community?"