As part of its ongoing efforts to promote greater ownership and relieve pressure on owners seeking to sell, but unable to find qualified buyers, FHA recently announced changes in the approval process for condominium properties. Lakeside applauds these changes. And while it is impossible to summarize the 14-page mortgagee letter, which is the name for guidance documents issued by HUD, we have identified some key points.

Western Avenue on the far north side could be more than a convenient way to get from West Ridge and Rogers Park to Evanston or neighborhoods to the south. Vacant auto dealerships could become locations for anchor retail store.  Local restaurants, shops, and service providers could be given incentive to fill vacant storefronts and create new destinations.  Overall, the street could be beautified with landscaping, improved signage, and rehabbed facades.
 
These ideas were just some presented by 300 community residents and 42 businesses, who participated in a joint survey project conducted recently by Lakeside CDC and the West Rogers Park Community Organization. The survey results were presented by Lakeside’s Executive Director, Brian White, at a recent community meeting held at the Indo American Center.

For many households, bedbugs are more than the villain in a bedtime rhyme. They are a regular nighttime visitor, leaving behind painful welts and making life miserable for the unfortunate victim of their attacks. Bedbugs have become increasingly common across the City, according to tenant organizers at the Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO). In Rogers Park, more than 30 buildings have had recent incidents involving bedbugs, leading the Housing Committee of Partners for Rogers Park to take up the issue as part of a new educational campaign.