News and Notes from the 2nd Ward, Town Hall Meeting This Week Will Address Housing Issues

Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) will hold a Town Hall Meeting Wednesday evening to discuss critical, post-turnover issues faced by homeowners and condominium associations.

The meeting will feature a panel of local experts who will discuss the challenges of dealing with condo construction defects, irresponsible or unresponsive developers and general contractors and the resulting excessive assessments. This issue faces many homeowners in today’s real estate market. Fioretti will use the meeting and the discussion there as a guide to development of legislation to help diminish future opportunities for shortchanging or penalizing owners and associations. The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria St., Chicago, IL.

The 2nd Ward newsletter suggests these websites if you are having trouble with burgeoning mortgage payments: President Obama’s Making Home Affordable Program, and the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago encourages homeowners to apply for loan modifications through the President’s program when they face difficulty paying for their home in the current economic downturn. Additional information is available by calling the HAMP Support Center, at 866-939-4469.

Residential Parking Bulletin

Parking in the City is a perennial problem and since the City leased its parking meters, many residents of the 2nd Ward are calling for residential parking in their immediate area, particularly in Printer’s Row, the South Loop and the West Loop. The South and West Loop parking and traffic studies set up by the 2nd Ward office are nearing completion. In tandem with those studies, Ald. Fioretti expects to discuss the expansion of some residential parking zones in areas of the ward where parking is challenging.

If you live on a block where street parking is scarce and there are few or no garages and feel residential parking is warranted, you can contact Pasquale Neri at at (312) 263-9273. Mr. Neri is handling these requests and can provide all the necessary information, including what is necessary to start the process and the requirements of the Department of Revenue to create a residential parking zone.

2nd Ward Infrastructure Improvements Include Lighting and Trees

New lighting is being installed on Wabash Avenue, from Roosevelt Road to Cermak Road. The date for the installation of this lighting is not yet set, but it will be coming around the time the Wabash reconstruction north of Roosevelt is completed in mid-November. These lights feature decorative poles and higher wattage bulbs.
New trees were planted on 1400 block of West Van Buren Street. These trees were planted as a small part of a program to make West Side sidewalks and streets greener. Look for more trees to be growing soon!