Most readers of this Newsletter know about the good work Neighborhood Building Owner’s Alliance (NBOA) does for the mostly small and medium-sized housing providers across Chicago and their representative associations who comprise its members. Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP) provides many of these same services to housing providers in New York City.

By:

Doug Imber
President, Essex Realty Group and RPBG Director

I’ve had the privilege of working in the Rogers Park apartment industry for more than 30 years, yet each time I attempt to summarize the market, the analysis seems more complicated than it did before.

By:

Tom Lisy, RPBG Director
Spring, 2022

As one of the Rogers Park Builders Group founding members, Carla has been a constant presence in our organization, contributing her boundless energy and enthusiasm at every opportunity. Her years of service and dedication to the organization were recognized by RPBG President, Mike Glasser, at the Director’s Meeting last year when she was presented with the “President’s Award” for 2021.

By:

Mike Glasser, RPBG President
Spring, 2022

A wide variety of groups and individuals own multi-family properties.

Some buildings are owned by individual investors. Others are owned by large corporations.

By:

Steve Cain
Spring, 2022

Verella Osborne, President, Legal Document Management, Inc.

Spring, 2022

Happy “almost summer” to everyone. No long oratory (or rant) for this edition of the Newsletter – just a few comments on some of the areas or issues I see currently affecting housing providers in their effort to recover after the God-awful rental housing mess left by our city, county and state governments.

Given the critical role Chicago plays in the nation’s transportation network, it is not surprising that the city and state stand to benefit from the $1.3 trillion Infrastructure Bill that the Biden administration was able to push through Congress last August. But did you know that some of these funds may eventually make it to Rogers Park to help the neighborhood preserve its shoreline?

RPBG Director Dave Gassman, DLG Properties, requested a change in zoning for a 7-unit property at 1710 West Lunt Avenue to allow a 13-unit addition at the rear of the building, increasing the total unit count to 20. The zoning change would have triggered the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) which mandates the inclusion of 20% affordable units in Rogers Park. For the Lunt building, this would have required four affordable units out of the 20 proposed. The structure has been vacant since 2016 and was formerly operated as a half-way house by Lutheran Social Services. Mr. Gassman purchased the building in 2017 and has been trying to put together a plan to redevelop the property since that time.

Stacie Young, President and CEO of Community Investment Corporation (CIC), stressed the importance of Chicago’s Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) in an OpEd piece in the April 11, 2022 edition of Crain’s Chicago Business.