Marina City residents warned of evicted tenant

Threat, disturbances lead to restraining order, eviction

21-Mar-11 – A tenant evicted from his apartment at Marina City last Thursday was considered so potentially troublesome that the condo association took an unprecedented step, at least in recent memory, of warning all residents the next day.

According to a March 18 memo to residents from property manager David Gantt, believed to have been “ghost-written” by an attorney for Marina Towers Condominium Association, the evicted tenant was an unidentified man who lived on the 21st floor of the east tower. Complaints about him in recent months included noise and “on one occasion, this resident threatened another resident of the 21st floor.”

A “notice of violation” and a fine apparently did not solve the problem, as disturbances involving the tenant increased, according to Gantt. On March 8, the condo association terminated the lease of the resident and threatened him with eviction if he did not move by March 18.

On March 9, the association filed for and was granted a temporary restraining order. The order banned the resident from “confronting any…residents, guests, or staff, engaging in further disturbances, and destroying the property of the [condo association] or any of its residents.”

The memo does not say exactly what the man did, but on March 15, “the subject resident violated that protective order” and two days later, the association obtained a court order to remove the resident from Marina City.

Security around the building was increased, most noticeably in the east tower lobby.

The memo surprised many residents. While some felt it was not necessary and needlessly frightened residents, most of the comments on the Marina Watchdog blog expressed appreciation for the memo.

“I think that despite the lack of detail in the letter, it was wise for management to write it (or have lawyers write it) and distribute it to all residents,” wrote one blogger. “We deserve to know what is happening [at Marina City], just as we deserve to know what is happening in Chicago, the U.S., and the world.”

But, said another, “I’m glad I was notified of the 21st floor problem and I don’t need to know anything else about it. Two pages under doors isn’t a waste, that’s what good management should do. If they didn’t notify us, you’d say they were putting you in danger and you need to know what’s going on here.”

“Now that management has frightened us,” added another blogger, “will [they] identify or give a description of the offender so we can keep a watch out for our own safety? Why didn’t they say precisely what he…did? [He] could have been carrying some type of weapon.”

 Read the memo