4-Jan-17 – Of the 95 residential buildings sued by the city almost two years ago, over violations of the Life Safety Ordinance, only eight cases are still open.

Between March 3, 2015, and May 14, 2015, the owners of the 95 Chicago buildings were sued in Circuit Court after flunking a Life Safety Evaluation. During an evaluation, a licensed architect or professional engineer looks for fire hazards, such as an apartment door that does not close on its own.

The housing complaints asked the court to require each building to correct violations or else pay $500 for every day not in compliance.

Most of the 87 settled cases were dismissed by agreement or stipulation but in four cases, the judge stopped the lawsuit because the city lacked evidence or otherwise could not make its case.

The case settled most recently was against The Belden Stratford, a luxury apartment building at 2300 North Lincoln Park West across from Lincoln Park. Filed on March 12, 2015, the complaint was settled on November 30, 2016.

Of the eight cases that have not been dismissed or non-suited, one other is across from Lincoln Park, a 102-unit condominium at 2100 North Lincoln Park West. The other buildings are located at 420 West Belmont Avenue, 1926 West Harrison Street, 5000 South Cornell Avenue, 6171 North Sheridan Road, 6922 South Jeffery Boulevard, and 7321 South Shore Drive.