Lakeside CDC director Brian White joined members of North Side Power in a public call for affordable housing preservation on Friday February 22 in Rogers Park. The rally, held in front of a converted rental building that is mostly empty, attracted approximately 65 community residents. During his comments, White referenced a 2006 Lakeside study that showed how condo conversions had depleted the rental market by thousands of units in little more than three years. In addition, hundreds of units of new construction condos have also been added into the local market, creating a glut of condos that the average household simply cannot afford.

"In 2006, at the height of the conversion craze, Lakeside identified 42 large rental buildings under conversion at the same time. These buildings included more than 918 rental units...To put this in context, between 1989 and 2004, an average of 146 condominium units were created per year in Rogers Park."

The results of these trends on low- and moderate-income renters has been "devastating."

 Community gardens are a tried-and-true means for promoting community pride, as well as a way to beautify public spaces. For years, the Rogers Park Metra station has projected an unkempt and neglected entryway into Rogers Park, despite being one of the most used stops on the Chicago-Kenosha North Line. That may change as residents of the immediate neighborhood join with the Rogers Park Garden Group to resurrect a community garden that was initiated, then abandoned at the station some years before (see photo).

Lakeside seeks adult volunteers for two ongoing projects. The first project is a follow-up of our 2006 Community Housing Audit study. In that study, trained volunteers helped collect information on rental buildings in Rogers Park to determine the condition and quantity of rental housing in the community. The second project is part of the agency's ongoing efforts to document the challenges facing tenants in Rogers Park as they confront a shrinking and aging rental housing supply. Since November, Lakeside has been collecting surveys from renters to document their experiences and concerns. The information is being used to plan educational activities, policy reforms, and other organizing efforts.

Lakeside is pleased to announce the hire of two new staff to help the agency meet the growing demand for its services.

In 2006, Lakeside conducted a first-of-its kind study of large rental properties in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Its Community Housing Audit involved reviews of Cook County Assessor records and exterior inspections of multifamily rental properties by trained volunteers. The project produced a comprehensive picture of the neighborhood’s rental housing supply, revealing now only what was lost due to condominium conversions, but also what was at risk of being lost from additional conversions and the rehabilitation of buildings into higher-cost rentals.

Despite the slowdown in the condo conversion craze, renters in Rogers Park on Chicago's far north side face a great deal of uncertainty about their future. Rising rents, aging buildings, and continued speculation are likely to lead to more conversions in the future. A group of organizations are working together to make sure that if a conversion takes place, renters are educated about their rights and their options.

A recent study conducted by Lakeside Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and creating affordable housing, finds that condominium conversions in the far north side Rogers Park community have significantly reduced the supply of affordable rental housing units and that it is white home buyers who are reaping the benefits while minority renters are being forced to live elsewhere.

In response to the city’s rapid addition of condominiums through rental conversions and new developments, Chicago’s Lakeside Community Development Corporation is offering a comprehensive training program to arm new owners with the ability to self-manage their condo associations and enjoy the full benefits of owning a home.

Lakeside CDC’s training session, titled “Forming and Operating a Small Condominium Association: A Practical Approach for Small Associations in Chicago,” is ideal for newly formed associations or those with a significant number of new officers or directors.