Senior housing ordinance clears City Council committee

An ordinance to protect seniors living in affordable housing buildings undergoing major repair work made its way out of the Committee on Housing and Real Estate on Wednesday.

The ordinance, introduced by Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) in November, would require developers to submit a public relocation plan to the Department of Housing as they prepare to renovate or rehabilitate senior affordable housing buildings.

The ordinance applies to developments that receive funding from the City of Chicago and have at least 24 units.

In a unanimous vote, the committee recommended the ordinance be passed at the next City Council meeting on Jan. 23.

Dozens of seniors with the Jane Addams Senior Caucus, an activist group, packed the Wednesday committee hearing in support of the ordinance.

Bill Brown, a resident at the Maple Pointe Apartments on the Near North Side, told the committee major renovations on the building in recent years “wreaked havoc” and endangered his life.

“Residents were left without grab bars in their showers for over a week during the renovations,” he said. “Not having a grab bar for one day is tempting fate. Had the owners assessed the needs of residents, we would’ve been safer.”

Tom Benedetto, a legal analyst for the Chicagoland Apartment Association, testified against the measure, arguing its “requirements, oversight, and enforcement” are “vague and impractical for property owners.”

However, Benedetto said, the CAA “wholeheartedly agrees with the philosophical sentiment of the ordinance.”

The relocation plan must include a timeline of repairs and contingencies to deal with emergencies during the renovation.

Developers will also have to hold a building meeting with tenants 120 days in advance of the renovation and are required to inform residents of their exact moving date at least 30 days in advance.

The ordinance also requires developers to designate a “relocation coordinator” to meet individually with each resident in the building to create a plan tailored to each of the residents’ needs.

Developers will also be required to provide free moving assistance to each resident and to reimburse them for all utility transfer fees.

Carlos Ballesteros is a corps member in Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster Sun-Times coverage of issues affecting Chicago’s South and West sides.