Danny YadronThe Daily Northwestern
Residents at the condominiums adjoining the collapsed parking structure at 1718 Oak Ave. are still barred from their homes despite predictions for an earlier move-in date.
The building was condemned by the city after an underground parking garage collapsed May 11, displacing about 55 residents. Although the building’s developer, Roszak/ADC, said residents would be able to return to their homes as early as Friday, residents have yet to return to the building.
“We really don’t have a specific date at this point,” said Vice President Christie Zielinski of Cushman/Amberg Communications, a public relations firm representing Roszak. “We’re just hoping to get (residents) back in as soon as possible.”
Engineering firm STS declared the building structurally secure on May 15, but the building will remain condemned until its fire alarms and sprinklers are operational and inspected by the city, Zielinski said.
“It’s kind of hard to gauge (when residents can return) when you have repair work and then have to have the city inspect it,” Zielinski said.
In the meantime, displaced residents from Sienna Evanston are still trying to cope with being barred from their homes.
“It’s been incredibly inconvenient not knowing where you’re going from one day to the next,” said Jeanne Tompkins, a resident of 1100 Clark St.
Tompkins has been staying at a hotel in north suburban Glenview since the collapse and was not able to recover her car from the garage until last Thursday. Representatives of Roszak said the company will reimburse residents for hotel costs throughout the ordeal, but the firm has not begun that process yet.
The wait is making Tompkins anxious, she said.
The developer will be distributing $250 debit cards from LaSalle Bank to one resident from each unit. Residents can retrieve the cards starting Tuesday.
But Tompkins said debit cards could only cover a fraction of the past week’s expenses.
“Two hundred-some dollars pays for a night, breakfast and maybe dinner,” she said.
– Danny Yadron
