Lights Out: Judge Orders Final Chateau Residents to Vacate

A judge has ruled that the final three residents still living at the Chateau Hotel in Lake View must leave by June 21 at midnight, WBEZ reports.

In April local alderman and the Lakeview Action Coalition met with new owners BJB Properties to discuss ways to smoothly transition the remaining 30 residents out of the building, as well as keep a portion of the property affordable housing.

BJB Pricipal James Purcell, however, reportedly said it wasn’t an option. Crews will soon begin the renovation of the building’s 138 units to make way for market-rate housing. Ald. James Cappleman (46th) confirmed in the past Purcell plans to raise rent to between $800 and $900 a month, compared to Chateau’s current highest rent of $575.

“There is very little housing in the city of Chicago that is both affordable to someone who is for example on SSI, meaning that they make something like $700 a month, and is located in an integrated neighborhood,” Alan Mills, attorney at the Uptown People’s Law Center, told WBEZ. “The vast majority of that housing is in Uptown.”

Former Chateau Hotel owner Jack Gore is now off the hook after racking up more than 130 building code violations like mice and bedbug issues after paying thousands of dollars in fines.

“In court on April 4th, the judge entered a fine of $18,000 plus $60 court costs against the previous owners of the Chateau Hotel,” Cappleman said in a statement. “These fines will help reimburse past court costs that have occurred over the years. The previous owners will be dismissed from the case upon payment of the fine.” 

LAC community organizer Mary Tarullo told WBEZ she knows many of the residents forced to move relocated on the South and West Sides, as well as taking up residency in area homeless shelters. That’s combined with some moving to other SROs and even more doubling up with friends, she said. 

Tarullo added they’re still working with Purcell and area alderman about having BJB include affordable housing in the five SROs he recently purchased for redevelopment. As for Chateau, however, they said BJB wasn’t leaving much room for negotiations.