Belia Rodriguez Running for 49th Ward Alderperson
- Category: Latest News
Headshot Photographer: Denver Smith
Belia Rodriguez never planned on running for the Chicago City Council. Even when encouraged by friends and associates, she pushed back, worried that she would have difficulty balancing the needs of the community and her thriving small business.
But she was also increasingly uncomfortable with the neighborhood’s direction in the wake of the “triple whammy” brought about by the pandemic, civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd, and the sharp political left turn under the leadership of the new Alderperson who talks a lot about consensus but who always seems to side with a core group of far-left ideologues.
Transfer Tax Increase Proposed to Raise Money for Homeless
- Category: Latest News
The chances of a new ordinance being passed in the Chicago City Council just increased with calls from several Progressive Aldermen to pass the Bring Chicago Home plan that would substantially increase the transfer tax of real estate sales from $5.25 per $500 of sales value, to $15.25 per $500 of sales value on any sale of a commercial property valued at $1 million or greater. This additional transfer tax money would be used to pay for various measures to alleviate homelessness in the city.
Supreme Court Could Consider Rent Control Constitutionality
- Category: Latest News
The three new justices appointed to the Supreme Court during the Trump administration have already made a big impact on the country’s legal landscape. In just their first term, the Court overturned Roe v. Wade in their controversial Dobbs decision while also favoring gun access over restrictions, and religious over individual rights in other cases.
Affordable Housing Development May Be Coming to Howard Street
- Category: Latest News
Preliminary plans are in the works for an all-affordable multifamily housing development at the northeast corner of Howard and Paulina Streets. The developer is Housing For All, LLC, which brings together the expertise of several real estate professionals with varied backgrounds and specializations.
Pay Attention to the Numbers
- Category: Latest News
- By:
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Doug Imber
President, Essex Realty Group and RPBG Director
We live in a time of continuous information. Our phones barrage us with emails, texts, messages and news. Our computers, televisions and tablets stream content with body-cam detail. And since bad news sells advertising more easily than good news, we get overwhelmed by the crisis du jour, which frequently shapes our collective attitudes. Of course, there are real issues and bad news, but it’s important to take a step back sometimes and remind ourselves of the larger picture.
RPBG’s Magical 30th at the Rhapsody Theater
- Category: Latest News
- By:
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Mike Glasser, RPBG President
Fall, 2022
Over one hundred Rogers Park Builders Group members, guests and friends gathered at the Rhapsody Theater on Morse Avenue recently for a night of magic and celebration as we commemorated our 30th anniversary.
This is the video made to commemorate the 30th anniversary of RPBG that highlights the accomplishments of the organization and its commitment to the Rogers Park community over its history.
Ups and Downs - Fall 2022
- Category: Latest News
- By:
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Steve Cain
Fall, 2022
It’s hard to resist the urge to gaze into my crystal ball (figuratively speaking). I know I should resist the temptation since I am usually wrong anyway. This is an especially dangerous exercise when the future outlook is cloudy. I think we can all agree, we are in one of those moments now.
There are two things weighing heavily on my mind. One is existential; the other, though probably not life-threatening, is no less unsettling. I’ll start with the one that is literally life and death.
Verella’s Round-Up: The New Illinois Public Act 102-0896, Effective Jan. 1, 2023
- Category: Latest News
- Verella Osborne, President, Legal Document Management, Inc.
- Fall, 2022
For some time, housing providers in Chicago and Cook County have been required to consider applications that show “source of income” from sources not directly related to wages. However, the recent passage of House Bill 2775 – which extends “source of income” as a protected class across the entire state of Illinois beginning on the first day or January 2023 – will have a much larger impact on housing providers elsewhere in Illinois who will have to adjust their requirements to reflect this new mandate and will no longer be able to reject a potential tenant solely on the basis of their work history or wages.
Around Rogers Park - If It’s August, It Must Be the Summer Soirée
- Category: Latest News
It seems hard to believe that this year’s Summer Soirée marked the 10th time we have celebrated this annual rite of passage for the Chicago real estate community. The significance of the occasion was matched by the perfect weather with clear skies, comfortable temperatures and a light breeze coming in from Lake Michigan.
Around Rogers Park - Pothole Art Comes to Rogers Park
- Category: Latest News
You all probably know the game where someone says a word, and you are asked to respond with the first thing that pops into your mind. If I were to say “pothole,” odds are good that your first reaction would not be “art.” But that’s probably because you are not familiar with artist Jim Bachor and his amazing series of pothole mosaics that have been popping up all around Chicago since 2013.
Around Rogers Park - Five-Year-Old Shot, and later Dies, in Howard Street Incident
- Category: Latest News
On Sunday afternoon, August 28, five-year-old Devin McGregor was shot in the head while sitting in his father’s car which was parked on the 7600 block of North Paulina just north of Howard Street. The shooter was sitting in the back seat of a Black Hyundai and fired the shots as part of a “drive-by” rampage that began and ended in just moments as the Hyundai shooter opened fire and then quickly sped away.
