14-Apr-08

According to the Chicago Tribune, we are “up in arms,” “circling the wagons,” and “banding together.” Perhaps you have been too busy to notice this.

Normally, I would feel uncomfortable speaking on behalf of every Marina City resident, but I think our reaction can be summed up as follows: Huh?

Two Marina Towers Condominium Association board members, working over two days, were able to get 100 signatures on a petition supporting landmark status for Marina City. If you signed such a petition, you may not realize it, but we suspect this petition also specifically objected to Dick’s Last Resort – “the joint your mama warned you about” – moving to Marina City.

Does it concern you that MTCA – in exchange for significant financial concessions in 2003 – is contractually obligated to neither seek landmark status or hinder commercial development? And yet they appear to be doing both.

We believe that residential property manager David Gantt called the Chicago Tribune to alert them to the petition drive. It’s just a guess, but we can imagine him using the phrase “concerned home owners.” He was able to get the Tribune to interview board members and their spouses for what is clearly a one-sided article.

The reporter did call me for background information on Marina City, and over a couple of emails I made clear to him that there was reason to be suspicious of the petition drive. It was not being done by concerned home owners with nothing but love in their hearts for Marina City. It was being done by a troubled condo board with a history of grinding axes.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s a romantic notion that residents are banding together to fight off an offensive affront to common decency. But to be fair, I would describe the attitude of most residents as ambivalent.

So, 100 signatures. Out of an estimated 1400 residents. Is that significant? Let’s be generous and say ten percent of residents signed that petition. How is that evidence that we are “up in arms?” How do you connect the dots? Why is this a story?

The Chicago Tribune has been served on a silver platter less important stories, affecting far fewer people, such as...

• The condo association declaring itself the “common law copyright” owner of the building image and coming up with 25 rules for image use, none of which have any legal basis, that only embarrass the complex.
• The property manager and association lawyer lying to everyone (including the Tribune) about a tv station paying to shoot video of the complex.
• The association spending $27,000 to evict a licensed support dog.
• Residents having to wage legal battles just to see financial documents to which they are entitled by law.

Perhaps we should have gotten 100 signatures on a petition.

And what does this tell you...? Anticipating a possible conflict with commercial property management over Dick’s Last Resort, MTCA is working on a contingency plan to create a meeting room on the 20th floor next to the laundry room. Just in case Transwestern Commercial Services cancels its lease of the MTCA meeting room.

Why we oppose landmark status

At first glance, landmark status sounds nice. Who wouldn’t want to live in a landmark? Many people fear that without it, Marina City will be consumed by commercial interests, or sold off and torn down. Someone with deep pockets comes in, writes 896 checks and we’re replaced with a new hotel. Reduced to a small plaque near an ice machine that reads, “Here once stood Marina City. Please do not use ice machine after 11 p.m.”

Marina City and the immediate neighborhood are in the middle of remarkable investment by commercial interests. Hotel Sax recently finished a $25 million renovation. LaSalle Hotel Properties, the owner of Hotel Sax and adjacent commercial property at Marina City, is prepared to spend $100-200 million on a super luxury hotel across the street.

Landmark status has its pros and cons, but the biggest disadvantage is it will hinder these nice people from spending all that money on us.

The bottom line is there is too much money invested in Marina City for it to be torn down anytime soon. The free marketplace does not always exercise good judgement, but it’s unlikely all this money will be spent ruining the complex and driving people away.

We’re not the Water Tower. We need to do business here. It’s not a delicate scene inside a snow globe to perfectly preserve. We have to bob and weave.

Why we like Dick’s Last Resort

First, full disclosure. There is no financial association between Dick’s Last Resort and Marina City Online. They have not so much as given us a free beer. They are accessible when needed but not too cozy.

I have personally met with Dick’s CEO Steve Schiff and his local management. I would describe Dick’s Last Resort as competent, professional, law-abiding and well-capitalized. They are intelligent people with business acumen, and neither term would fairly describe our condo board.

I have no doubt DLR will move in one day and be successful and popular with the residents. Given a choice, I’m not sure Dick’s would be my first pick – but we already have upscale restaurants and Dick’s would certainly be better than a McDonald’s.

Dick’s has shown its customer demographics to be middle-aged and affluent, and they’ve addressed every single concern – either agreeing to make significant changes or patiently explaining why the concern is unfounded – but the board does not want to listen to facts.

The residential property manager, working for the MTCA board, needlessly alarmed residents with his reaction to a gas valve that turned out to be professionally installed – and no one except him and the board ever considered it a safety issue. Peoples Gas says the valve was not illegal and “perfectly safe.” And we do not believe DLR even installed the valve in the first place – it was done at the request of the commercial property manager.

Gantt claimed Dick’s was doing construction work after the Stop Work Order – which also turned out to be untrue.

There’s no good defense of the Stop Work Order. However, we feel the explanation was satisfactory. Since then, DLR has breezed through the permit process and does appear poised to resume work any day now.

“All issues have been addressed,” said Schiff on April 2. “We are confident that we will begin construction [soon], but will not do so until the permit is issued.”

There is no evidence that Dick’s Last Resort will be anything less than a good neighbor. Their current location has never been cited for violation of city ordinances, and they pay their rent on time. Isn’t that all you could ask from any residential tenant?

Leave Dick alone and stop whining about landmark status

At best, the Marina Towers Condominium Association has a troubled relationship with unit owners and residents. Even the man who co-wrote the Illinois condo laws has gone on record, saying they are on the path toward being a “runaway board.”

The Chicago Tribune article is based mostly on interviews with condo board members and their spouses, and there is plenty of reason to be suspicious of MTCA’s motivations. The article was not objective or balanced.

To anyone who does not yet have an opinion, I would urge you to keep an open mind – and not swallow everything the board here tells you without question.

Chicago is the city that works. Marina City was built by and for working people. Let’s let Marina City get the job done without being saddled with needless regulation.