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BUILDING AND SAFETY DEPARTMENT
DEVELOPMENT AND CODE ENFORCEMENT
ACTIVITY REPORT AS OF JUNE 21, 2011
Plans Submitted and Building Permit Issued for New Royal Buffet
Chinese Restaurant at 616 Woodlawn Road
Building plans were recently submitted by Ke Rong Chen for the
establishment of a Royal Buffet Chinese restaurant at 616 Woodlawn
Road, the former site of the Movie Gallery video rental store. The
proposed Chinese restaurant will feature a Chinese buffet, as well
as fresh sushi, and will be a welcome addition to the vacant
property. Following a building and zoning review of the submitted
plans, the plans were found in compliance with building and zoning
requirements and a building permit was issued for the proposed
restaurant.
Interior Remodel of Vacant Retail Space and Relocation of
Memorial Home Services from 200 N. Chicago to 1214 Woodlawn Rd.
Memorial Home Services is in the final stages of completing a
move from 200 N. Chicago to 1214 Woodlawn Road in the Heritage
Plaza. With the assistance of R.L.P. Development Company, the owners
of the Heritage Plaza, the interior of the previous location of
Payless Shoes was completely rehabbed into a very attractive new
business space. R.L.P. and their contractor were a pleasure to work
with throughout the remodeling process and the Building and Safety
Department looks forward to working with R.L.P. Development on
further enhancements to the Heritage Plaza property in the future.
R.L.P. Development plans on upgrading the exterior facade of the
Heritage Plaza which will significantly enhance the appearance of
one of Lincoln's largest shopping plazas.
Interior Remodeling of Vacant Commercial Space at 1204 Woodlawn
and the Relocation of Lincoln Taekwondo from 527 Woodlawn Road to
Woodlawn Rd.
A vacant, commercial space at 1204 Woodlawn Rd. directly behind
Dollar General, was recently remodeled with the assistance of David
McEntire and R.L.P Development Company, to serve as the new location
for Lincoln Taekwondo, which had been previously located at 527
Woodlawn. The remodeled space at 1204 Woodlawn Rd. is a much larger
space than the space at 527 Wood1awn Rd. and will allow Scott Brown,
the owner of Lincoln Taekwondo, to expand his classes and programs.
The interior improvements and the installation of an attractive
exterior entrance and awning have transformed a under utilized area
of the building into an attractive, beneficial use that is a great
addition to the Heritage Plaza.
Interior Remodeling of Vacant Commercial Building at 714-716 N.
Logan for use as a Chiropractic Clinic I Fitness Center by 1st
Choice Chiropractic Clinic
A building permit has been issued for the interior remodeling of
the building for use as a Chiropractic Clinic I Fitness Center by
Dr. Frank Adubato of 1st Choice Chiropractic Clinic. The building at
714-716 N. Logan has been vacant for almost 5 years and was
previously occupied by Pride Cleaners and a hair salon. The interior
of the building will be remodeled in such a manner that southern
half of the building will be devoted to the chiropractic clinic,
with the north half of the building devoted to the fitness center
use. The property at 714-716 N. Logan is an attractive commercial
plaza with ample parking and will be well suited for the proposed
dual use.
Relocation of the Log Cabin Quilt Shop from 118 N. McLean St. to
429 Pulaski St.
The Log Cabin Quilt Shop recently completed a move from its
location at 118 N. McLean St. to 429 Pulaski St. The commercial
space at 429 Pulaski St. was previously occupied by the Treasure
Chest gift shop.
Establishment of a Children's Resale Clothing Store at 206 S.
Chicago St.
A children's resale clothing store doing business as Grand Kids
has been established at 206 S. Chicago St. The Building and Safety
Department and the Fire Department have been working with the
storeowner on the installation of the required exit lighting and
other fire safety issues that needed to be addressed for the use.
Demolition of the Former Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital
The former Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital property is now
completely surrounded with protective fencing and demolition
activities have begun to completely raze the hospital facility.
Prior to the start of demolition, I met with a representative of
Brandenburg, a very reputable demolition firm based in Chicago, to
discuss the staging and duration of the demolition of the hospital
facility. According to information received from the representative
from Brandenburg; the first stage of the demolition will be focused
on the demolition of the lower story buildings at the east side of
the property. Once the lower story building is removed, then the
5-story main hospital building will be demolished. Throughout the
demolition process the contractor will be watering down to prevent
the release of dust into the air and will also provide air
monitoring equipment at the perimeter of the site to detect the
presence of dust as a safeguard measure for the surrounding
residential neighborhood. It is anticipated that the demolition
activities will last up to two months to completely demolish all
buildings and re-grade the property. Staff will stay in contact with
the demolition contractor and closely monitor the site to verify
that the residential areas surrounding the hospital property
experience no adverse impacts.
Habitat for Humanity Building Activities
Habitat for Humanity has recently completed construction of a new
storage building at 915 Woodlawn Road, which will provide them much
needed storage space for materials that were previously stored at
the exterior of the property. The new building is an attractive
addition to the property and will enhance the view on one of
Lincoln's primary gateways. Habitat for Humanity has also begun
construction of a new single-family residence at 1419 N. McLean St.
The property at 1419 N. McLean had been a vacant lot prior to
donation to Habitat for Humanity and the construction of a new home
on the property will add considerable value to the property and the
neighborhood as a whole.
Notification of Unsafe, Dilapidated Accessory Structures
Over the winter months the Building and Safety Department
compiled a list of properties throughout the city that had a
dilapidated, unsafe accessory structure located on the property. The
Building and Safety Department will now be sending out a notice of
an unsafe structure to all owners of the properties where an unsafe,
dilapidated accessory structure has been found to exist. The notice
of unsafe structure will allow the property owner a specific period
of time to both repair the structure and restore it to a safe
condition or demolish the structure to eliminate the unsafe
condition that exists on the property.
[to top of second column] |
 BUILDING ACTIVITY REPORT
(Month/year -- # of permits
-- Construction Value -- Fees Received)
|
January 2010 |
7 |
$88,980 |
$384.00 |
|
January 2011 |
9 |
$206,745 |
$829.31 |
|
February 2010 |
16 |
$1,191,715 |
$281.90 |
|
February 2011 |
11 |
$65,740 |
$545.44 |
|
March 2010 |
46 |
$442,013 |
$1,707.80 |
|
March 2011 |
27 |
$114,480 |
$958.62 |
|
April 2010 |
49 |
$867 78 |
$1,773.61 |
|
April 2011 |
37 |
$332,640 |
$2,360.80 |
|
May 2010 |
51 |
$487,853 |
$1,847.70
|
|
May 2011 |
37 |
$230,645 |
$1,792.55 |
|
June 1-21, 2010 |
31
|
$161,640 |
$671.85 |
|
June 1-21, 2011 |
32 |
$288,817 |
$2,144.90 |
Upon review of the compiled building activity data from January
to June 21st from the years 2010 and 2011, the following can be
determined:
1. The total number of building permits issued from January
1, 2011 to June 21, 2011 (153 building permits) is down 23%
from the same period of time in 2010 (200 building permits).
This continued decline in the total number of building
permits issued is the result of the sluggish economy, but
can also attributed to the inclement weather in March and
May 2011 which caused a significant decline in the number of
building permits.
2. Total construction value from January 1, 2011 to June 21,
2011 is down 62% from the same period of time in 2010, or
$3,239,579 in 2010 and $1,239,067 in 2011. This significant
decrease in the total construction value is a result of both
an overall drop in the number of building permits issued,
but is also a continuation of the trend for smaller scale
projects.
3. While the total number of building permits issued and
total construction value has experienced a significant
decline, overall building permit revenue from January 2011
to June 21, 2011 is up by 23% from the same period of time
in 2010 or $8631.62 in 2011 and $6666.86 in 2010. The
increase in building permit fee revenue is a direct result
of the adjustment made to the building permit fee structure
and the broadening of scope of work that requires a building
permit.
CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITY REPORT
|
|
2011 |
2010 |
|
January: |
94 |
34 |
|
February: |
38 |
36 |
|
March: |
111 |
46 |
|
April: |
105 |
84 |
|
May: |
170 |
74 |
|
Total: |
518 |
274 |
As the Code Enforcement Activity Report reveals, the Building and
Safety Department has continued to aggressively identify and address
properties in violation of City Code requirements. The number of
ordinance violation sent out from January 2011 thru May 2011 has
increased by 47% from the same period of time in 2010. The
significant increase in the number of ordinance violation letters
can be attributed to the following factors:
1. An increase in the number of abandoned, foreclosed
properties, which routinely result in the generation of
ordinance violation letters for overgrown grass and trash on
the vacant property;
2. A very wet spring which has resulted in a significant
increase in the number of ordinance violation letters being
sent to properties with overgrown grass and weeds;
3. An increase in the number of complaints being phoned in
by neighboring property owners and city residents who have
increased confidence in the ability of the Building and
Safety office to bring properties into compliance with City
maintenance requirements;
4. A continuing commitment by the Building and Safety
Department to aggressively identify and address properties
in violation of City Code requirements.
RECENT COURT ACTIVITIES
February 4, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $750.00 was
awarded the City against Daniel Comstock of 517 Maple for failure to
remove an inoperable vehicle from the property.
February 4, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $450.00 was
awarded the City against Daniel Comstock of 1001 N. Sangamon for the
creation of a public nuisance and failure to remove trash and debris
from the property.
February 24, 2011: A default court judgment in the amount of
$12,726 was awarded the City against Phillip Hopper of 1116 7th St.
for failure to maintain the property free of weeds and grass in
excess of 12 inches in height.
February 24, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $11,775.00
was awarded the City against Mary Bland of 1115 Pekin St. for
failure to repair or demolish an unsafe garage structure.
March 31, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $572.00 was
awarded the City against David McEntire for the properties at 1225
Delavan and 1227 Delavan for the creation of a public nuisance and
failure to remove garbage and trash from the properties.
April 14, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $6,375.00 was
awarded the City against Michael and Jessie Wheelock of 352 5th
Street for the creation of a public nuisance and failure to remove
garbage and trash from the property.
May 3, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $5775.00 was
awarded the City against Charles Kodatt of 912 N. Logan for the
creation of a public nuisance and failure to remove trash and
garbage from the property.
June 23, 2011: A court judgment in the amount of $13,725.00 was
awarded the City against Dawn Harris of 803 Short 8th Street for the
creation of a public nuisance and failure to remove trash and debris
from the property.
[Text copied from file received]
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