Skyline Newspaper

The average American family has an incredible 300,000 items in their home, and if they live in a big city like Chicago, it can be a hassle to keep that many possessions under one roof.

But thankfully there are storage solutions for those families. Nearly 50,000 storage facilities exist in the United States today, and more are being built every year. Here in Chicago, developers are reusing old spaces to create new storage spaces for Chicagoland residents who have run out of room at home.

As of June 2, real estate developer Martin Taradejna purchased a former Lincoln Logs factory in Chicago and stated his intention to convert it into a self-storage facility. It was purchased at a price of $2.2 million.

The storage industry has been growing quickly since the Great Recession ended as Americans increasingly choose to rent their homes. And according to a market research report from Marcus and Millichap, Americans are simply buying more stuff than they used to.

“To date, the robust performance of self-storage properties is primarily driven by growing space demand,” reads the report. “After hunkering down during the recession, U.S. consumers are clearly back in an accumulation phase, buying new things that will inevitably relegate older possessions to self-storage spaces around the country.”

The property includes more than 1 acre, a 45,834-square-foot building, and an attached 23,380-square-foot warehouse.

According to the plans that Taradejna provided, the facility will be comprised of 600 units and will offer both outdoor and indoor parking. It’s expected to be fully renovated and opened early next year, in 2018.

Taradejna expressed excitement at the location and hopes that the fact that it is near the 606 means it could bring in a lot of local business.

“Being on The 606 is an attractive thing and [also] having the YMCA as a neighbor. It’s a nice dense population there, and not a lot of self-storage.”

The 606 is a part of a larger project, which is comprised of a system of parks and access points. The property itself is on the west end of the Bloomingdale Trail, a 2.7-mile elevated park and trail.

The factory itself is the former home of Playskool Manufacturing Co., which used it to produce Lincoln Logs from the 1940s to 1960s. It was purchased from Don Glisovich by Taradejna and a business partner.

Gilsovich was the sole owner of the property and purchased it in 2015 with the intent of turning it into a location to fit a brewery, cafe, and theater.

A new property tax hike for Chicago homeowners is reviving concerns about the way Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios and his office valued homes. To many Chicago homeowners, the property tax seems specifically designed to benefit the rich and burden the poor.

While the 10% increase in property tax has long been expected, it is still sending waves through the Chicago and Cook County Community. Both the city of Chicago and the Chicago Public Schools District recently increased levies as part of a multiyear plan to ease shortfalls in worker pension programs, among other issues.

The Chicagoland suburbs will also be seeing an increase in their property taxes, though the hike there is less aggressive — 6.5% in North suburbs and 3.9% in South suburbs.

The value of a home is typically determined by calculating its market value, factoring in things like the current real estate market and any recent renovations (landscaping improvements alone can raise a home’s market value by 14%). However, a long-term analysis by the Chicago Tribune has revealed that the county assessor’s flawed approach to valuing property has created a divide between homeowners in economically prosperous (and typically white) neighborhoods and lower income neighborhood and minority communities.

The inaccuracies, the analysis concludes, are the result of outdated and highly subjective assessing practices that are out of sync with industry standards, including an over-reliance on hand checks, in which an assessor manually adjusts individual property values. This can result in wildly nonuniform valuation.

The reason for which, according to Cook County’s deputy assessor for valuation and appeals, Thomas Jaconetty, was math, or rather the average man’s aversion to it.

In an interview with the Tribune, Jaconetty posed the question, “Would they be as concerned about their assessments being based purely on math and driven by equations? Or would they feel better knowing there was a human being involved?”

It stands to reason, however, that the vast number of homeowners paying disproportionately high property taxes, especially those with fewer financial resources, would prefer a system that was both accurate and not prone to human prejudices or errors.

Take, for instance, Barbara Garner, a Melrose Park area widow. In 2010, she decided to downsize from her 2,000 square foot, four-bedroom, two story home for a single story home with less than 800 square feet built just after World War II.

Most people downsizing to older homes already face a significantly higher cost of maintenance than those who can afford to downsize to newer properties. For instance, the Electrical Safety Foundation International recommends that anyone purchasing a home 40 years or older should pay for a professional inspection for possible hazards.

Traditionally, such costs would be mitigated when downsizing by the reduction in property taxes. But for Garner the new tax bill was almost the same as the price for her previous home, nearly $4,000 a year, despite the difference in size.

The reason? The assessor, a human, had valued the house at more than twice what Garner had actually bought the house for, claiming the property was valued at $164,640 instead of the $75,000 Garner paid.

“I blew a gasket,” Garner said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “I moved here to save money but instead I was paying the same amount in taxes.”

While many politicians are already voicing their opposition to the tax hikes, Cook County Clerk David Orr has taken criticisms a step farther, attacking not only the recent increase, but property taxes as well.

In the 2016 Tax Rate Report from his office, Orr is quoted saying: “property taxes are inherently regressive and disproportionately impact people in poorer regions. The overreliance on this mechanism of funding local government compounds existing inequities.”

Chicago’s skyline is getting a new addition with the construction of a 76-story apartment tower at the southern end of Grant Park. DNAinfo reports that this building will be the tallest south of Willis Tower, comprising 792 units. This project is one of two towers planned by Miami developer Crescent Heights.

“To have the opportunity to bookend this remarkable open space is a responsibility that we continue to be aware of every day,” project architect Rafael Viñoly said in a statement, according to DNAinfor. “One Grant Park takes on the structural clarity, and the logic of purpose, that characterizes Chicago’s great high-rise building tradition.”

In a recent Urban Land Institute survey, 50% of respondents said that walkability was either the top or a priority when choosing where to live. Many professionals are looking to downtown Chicago, as the city has been ranked the sixth most walkable city in the United States. With its park-side location, the South Loop is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Chicago and this project will house those flooding to the area, according to DNAinfo.

“We’re excited to begin construction on a building that will deliver an exceptional living experience befitting — and named after — this coveted location alongside Grant Park,” Crescent Heights Managing Principal Bruce Menin said in a statement, according to Chicago Business.

DNAinfo reports that the city is also planning to construct several other towers in the area, including a 73-story tower that will be at 1000 S. Michigan Ave. As developers continue to pull buyers toward cities, the $900 billion construction market may be commissioned to build more towers like this. Ron Caplan, the president of PMC Property Group, said in a statement to CNBC that this push is being filled by those working in cities. Caplan works with development in Pittsburg, Baltimore, and Columbia S.C.

“So far the development that we’ve done has been embraced by a continuing larger population,” he said. “We have found that the buildings continue to fill up.”

Construction of the project is already underway, according to DNAinfo. Building projects like this almost always require structural shoring to keep workers safe and expedite the process. When using any of the three types of shoring (inclined, horizontal, or vertical) crews can responsibly work on a tower that is still in use. This construction in particular is funded by a $203 million loan.

One Grant Park is projected to open in early 2019.

Not to rain on your wedding day, but the price tag that comes with getting married in Chicago is one of the highest in the country. This is according to an annual study by The Knot, which surveyed almost 13,000 couples about their big-day spending. Chicago ranked as the fourth most expensive city for getting hitched.

With an average of 2.4 million weddings performed each year, The Knot reports that the average 2016 wedding cost $35,329, increasing by $2,688 from 2015. Manhattan bent the curve quite a bit, taking the top spot with a $78,464. Long Island checked in second, costing the average couple $67,831, and was followed by New Jersey, costing $62,606.

Then there was Chicago, where the average wedding costs $60,035, still almost double the national average. In fact, according to the Federal Reserve, the average cost of a Chicago wedding is actually higher than the average income in the United States, which was $56,516 as of 2015.

According to The Knot, the increase in wedding costs is due to heightened attention to detail, not the number of wedding guests. While the average wedding has 165 guests, couples are focusing more on guest experience.

“Wedding spend continues to rise, but at the same time, guest lists are shrinking as couples spend more per guest to create an unforgettable experience for those closest to them,” Kellie Gould, editor in chief of The Knot, said in a press release. “Couples are also using their wedding day to make their first big statement as a couple. From invitations to the reception band, couples are spending more to put their personal stamp on every detail.”

A 2014 study by The Knot shows that the average engagement lasts 14 months. This time is now up to 15 months, according to the most recent survey, giving couples one extra month to plan every detail of their expensive big day. According to The Knot’s press release, couples are investing portions of their budgets on details like signature cocktails, photo booths, and fireworks. The Knot also mentioned that live painters, aerialists, and acrobats could be among the top 2017 wedding trends.

Couples are also spending an average of $16,107 on a venue, an investment that is making its mark in Chicago as well. In a statement to Chicago Tribune, Charlene Liang, owner and planner of Sweetchic Events, said that some of the most popular city locations are The Ivy Room, Ovation, and The Chicago History Museum.

“We are lucky to have such a variety of venues in the city, but they are expensive to rent,” she said.

As these results continue to make headlines, some lifestyle writers are pointing out potential flaws in the data. Anthony Todd speculates in the Chicagoist that the survey results could be exclusive to more privileged demographics, skewing the results upwards significantly.

“Is it possible that the data is wrong? Well, it’s from TheKnot.com, which means that the only respondents were the type of wedded folks who would use TheKnot.com: a large chunk of people, but one that I’d guess skews upward in terms of economic status,” he writes. “It also assumes that the average couple is buying a $6,000 engagement ring, and factors that into the cost of the wedding. In other words, before you feel bad about not keeping up with the (very expensive) Joneses, know that this data might be a bit flawed.”

Illinois State legislators are mulling over a bill that would add a 6.25% sales tax on repair and maintenance services. My Journal Courier reports that the bill is raising concern among homeowners and businesses alike, as it would raise the price of home repairs.

While lawmakers have not revealed the specifics of the bill, My Journal Courier reports that the bill will likely be similar to one in Wisconsin. This bill taxes home repairs on appliances like furnaces, water heaters, and HVAC systems.

This bill could impact projects like bathroom maintenance, which according to the National Association of Home Builders, 78% of rennovations and are the most-requested type of home improvement. This would impact local plumbers like Lewis Williams, who said in a statement to My Journal Courier that the bill will take business away from service companies as people try to perform these remodels themselves.

“It’ll drive more people to get unlicensed work done,” Williams said. “When that happens, it can end up being dangerous for them. Things may not get done up to code. I see more homeowners taking a risk and doing the work themselves.”

With this added financial burden, some homeowners will likely choose to not renovate at all. With 35% of remodels involving the whole home, entire houses may sit untended. This could lower the quality of entire communities, David Padgett, president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Southwest Illinois, said in a statement to SW Illinois News.

“People already don’t like to maintain their homes because of cost,” he said. “That brings down neighborhoods.”

Further adding to the lists of inconveniences for homeowners, avoiding home maintenance and remodels will eventually lower the home’s resale value. Even a minor kitchen remodel has an ROI of 82.7% . Without this convenience, homeowners could be missing out on successful selling in the future. This blow to the housing market would add to the list of industries that could be effected by this tax. In a statement to My Journal Courier, Home Builders Association of Illinois President Allen Drewes said that people not purchasing renovation services could be detrimental to the state’s already fragile economy.

“It’s bad enough our state’s economy can’t seem to recover from the depths of the recession, and not enough people feel comfortable they will have their job tomorrow to invest in their homes for the long term here,” he said.

He added that legislators should be making an effort to create the opposite effect, building up the economy be encouraging renovations and the hiring of service workers.

“This tax will lead to layoffs, higher costs and less work for businesses like mine, and that means I’m spending less money here in the restaurants and at the stores,” Drewes said. “If we want to get more revenue from home projects, give incentives for people to do the projects — don’t make it harder.”

Officials at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport have changed regulations on how they will handle onboard disturbances after a disturbing, viral incident on a United aircraft.

USA Today reports that the Chicago police will now handle all unrest that happens on the planes, rather than aviation security officers. These officers will only board the aircraft for medical emergencies or urgent threats.

This decision follows the April 9 incident in which security officers dragged Dr. David Dao, a physician from Kentucky, off of an aircraft at O’Hare to make space for United Airlines crew members. United officials asked the officers to respond in this way, according to USA Today. Dao lost two teeth and sustained a concussion, but United became the target of national outrage when video of the incident went viral.

O’Hare has continuously ranked as one of the busiest airports in the United States. With about 30.78 million citizens traveling overseas in 2014, these airports do not have room to skip security measures. Ginger Evans, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation, told a senate panel last week that the security officers were not following standard procedure and have been suspended. She said that by adjusting the policy at O’Hare, the department hopes to prevent future incidents like this.

“While we cannot reverse what took place, as a department we are taking action to ensure this never happens again,” Evans said at the hearing.

United said that they will no longer call airport security in response to problems like this, Reuters reports. Evans also said that security officers and Chicago police will no longer be involved in any customer service issues at the airport.

“These actions will not be tolerated,” Evans said in her statement. “Our policies are clear that force should only be used when absolutely necessary to protect the security and safety of our passengers.”

Commercial airlines are not always the most comfortable setting to begin with, and passenger disturbances take this to a new level. USA Today reports that some of the senators at the hearing brought up other issues that airline customers face, including cramped seats and cancellations caused by technology failures. There is a reason why business people report a 40% decrease in productivity while flying commercial. American Airlines even announced last week that they would reduce space between seats — again — from 31 to 29 inches.

Senator Roy Blunt, R-Mo. and head of the panel, said that this incident brings up cause for airlines to listen to public dissatisfaction and outrage, according to USA Today.

“It’s impossible to ignore the public outcry at recent incidents involving passengers, airline employees, and airport police,” he said at the hearing. “This incident was nothing short of disturbing.”

Following the April incident, many people put out a call on social media to boycott United Airlines, showing that reputation matters. With one in nine U.S. jobs depending on travel and tourism, any mass disturbance in the leisure industry could be detrimental to millions of jobs.

“I think it may be time for a new passenger bill of rights,” Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash, said at the hearing.

Illinois State Police say severe winter weather conditions caused two car crashes in March that involved a grand total of 34 vehicles on a Chicago expressway. Both of the pileups occurred in highway express lanes on the city’s North Side.

Multiple factors can contribute to accidents like these, including under-inflation and improper tires. A tire can lose up to 50% of its inflation pressure and still appear normal, but that was unfortunately not the cause of these two massive crashes.

Winter storm Stella pummeled a good portion of the nation, sweeping snow from the Midwest to the Northeast. It came after an unseasonably warm stretch, making it all the more shocking for those affected by the severe winter weather.

In addition to dumping one to two feet of snow in most places it passed over, Stella managed to ground more than 6,000 flights and take out power for almost 250,000 customers from Virginia northward. The storm was officially declared a blizzard by the time it reached Massachusetts sporting 70 MPH winds.

It was easily the worst storm in a season that had been relatively mild in the Northeast, and despite many people’s best efforts, it still caused multiple issues, pileups included.

The chain reaction of accidents on the Kennedy Expressway occurred at approximately 10:15 PM between Division Street and North Avenue. Chicago firefighters rushed seven individuals to local hospitals for treatment, including one man who was transported in serious condition.

There are approximately 110 million emergency room visits made annually, and fortunately for the other six people transported to local hospitals in these crashes, their injuries were minor. Despite other minor bumps and bruises reported, at least 23 people refused immediate treatment at the crash site.

It took upwards of three hours for officials to clear all of the cars away from the crash site. Vehicles involved included Uber cars, minivans, and even an Illinois State Police cruiser. It’s possible to find car carpets for models dating all the way back to the 1940s, but it’s uncertain what repairs the vehicles involved will need. Police report the state trooper, though in their car at the time of the crash, was unharmed.

The crash site was cleared completely by 2 AM and it was quickly confirmed that the cause was weather-related. Cars attempting to slow down simply kept sliding, as the weather provided extremely slick surfaces.

“We were all going too fast,” one driver told NBC 5. “I don’t know if the express lanes should have been open.”

Chicago wasn’t the only accident scene, either. A 16-year-old girl was killed when she lost control of her vehicle and hit a tree during the winter storm in Gilford, NH. Accidents of a similar nature occurred throughout the Northeast during the storm, making it one of the most devastating in the last year for the region.

Most companies must use social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter in order to increase brand awareness, generate web traffic, get new customers, convert leads, nurture prospects, and increase sales, but Chicago-based dental company, DecisionOne Dental Group, is taking an alternative approach — they’re offering membership plans.

While various studies have shown that adult dental care has hit a slump, not many dental firms have taken action to combat it. The main cause for this initiative is rising dental costs — as of now, almost 7 million adults are at risk of losing their dental insurance if the Affordable Care Act is replaced. Those who do still have the luxury of dental insurance often don’t use it — patients have become three times as likely to skip appointments, even though virtually all adults (99.7%) surveyed believe a healthy smile is socially important, according to an AACD survey.

DecisionOne Dental Group CEO Dr. AJ Acierno explained why his business has decided to enforce such an initiative:

“I see it all the time at my practice: people come in thinking they have insurance, only to find out that maybe half of their services are covered. This happens with employer-provided insurance, but especially with coverage under the ACA. Oftentimes, patients don’t come back because of either the lack of insurance or poor insurance coverage. If dentists don’t start to fight back against rising insurance premiums and limited coverage, patients will suffer. That’s why we created a monthly membership plan.”

With the help of DecisionOne Dental’s membership service, patients will be able to enroll in a monthly discount plan for as low as $19.99 per month. These plans include two free cleanings, x-rays, exams, and other discounts on restorative services. The program does not have annual limits, so members can receive care anytime they need it. The program also includes discounts on cosmetic procedures like veneers, invisalign, and whitening. That’s a pretty steep discount, considering the fact that Americans spend $1.4 billion on teeth whitening products each year.

“Dental care is not a luxury; it is a necessity,” said Dr. Acierno. “We want our patients to receive consistent quality dental care because we know that aside from dental issues like tooth decay and gum disease, poor oral health can contribute to a host of other issues including heart disease and diabetes. The Complete One Dental plan provides better coverage than most insurance options available today, especially when you look at the numbers and see that for an adult the national average for the cost of a cleaning and x rays is $165.”

There are millions of practicing Catholics in the United States today, and many of them don’t have time to attend mass on the many Holy Days celebrated during Lent.

So an Indiana church decided to change that.

Ash Wednesday was celebrated on Wednesday, March 1, and it marked the start of the 40-day Catholic Lenten season that leads up to the celebration of Easter Sunday each year. As a tradition, the palms used in the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration are burned and turned into ashes. On Ash Wednesday, members of the church come together and have a cross of ashes applied to their foreheads.

But Catholics aren’t the only Christian denomination that celebrate this Holy Day.

Reverend Roger Bower of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Valparaiso, Indiana realized that many of his parishioners were too busy to come to church in the middle of the work week. He came up with an unusual alternative instead — donning a bright orange safety vest over his clerical robe and observing Ash Wednesday out in the parking lot. Bower stood outside the church and created a sort of drive-through Ash Wednesday service. He would say a small prayer and give each driver their own set of ashes from the comforts of their own car.

Neglecting vehicle maintenance costs the U.S. economy an estimated $2 billion a year, but hopefully these parishioners’ vehicles will be blessed thanks to the holy drive through. This was Bower’s fourth year doing a mobile Ash Wednesday service. He said the idea came from parishioners who had noticed a church in Minnesota doing something similar. And it seems that this simple act of kindness that, which gives parishioners the option to bow out of the traditional service but still get blessed, went a long way.

Mike Bodnar, a retired machinist and member of the church, explained to the Chicago Tribune what this convenience means to him.

“I was just driving by and saw the woman in the safety vest. “This is to remind us: ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust.'” We’re just here renting our bodies. Then it’s time to go,” he said.

For many practicing Catholics, the Lenten season is a time for renewal. In the same way that 53% of adults come back feeling refreshed after a vacation, it is a time for penance, charity, and giving back. And St. Andrew’s church isn’t the only congregation trying to give back for Lent.

In Chicago, another parish is trying to make the religious LGBTQ community feel welcome with their uniquely inclusive Ash Wednesday service.

And, naturally, they did it with glitter.

Berry United Methodist Church in Lincoln Square, Unity Lutheran Church in Edgewater, and Holy Covenant Metropolitan Community Church in suburban Brookfield all mixed their traditionally dark black ashes with purple glitter as a festive way to show support for Chicago’s LGBTQ community.

Known as the “Glitter Ash Wednesday” initiative, the event was spearheaded by Parity, a New York City organization that fights for the rights of the LGBTQ community. The goal is to have the church provide a message that represents both the traditional symbol of repentance that Ash Wednesday brings, but mixed in with a dash of solidarity.

April Gutierrez, pastor at Berry United Methodist, says that for her, the idea behind Glitter Ash Wednesday means much more than mixing glitter. It is a moment for Catholics and Christians everywhere to remember their religious values of inclusivity and acceptance.

“We want to make sure the Christian message is one of love and inclusivity, of empowering people to be who they are,” Gutierrez explained to the Chicago Tribune.

Pastors like Gutierrez believe that when looking at the deeper meaning of what Lent stands for, Glitter Ash Wednesday can prove to be something quite powerful indeed.

“Right now there are people in this country that feel threatened that their very presence should not be in public spaces. We are called to ensure that people know our Gospel teaches a gospel of love,” Gutierrez said. “Our visible sign should be a sign of solidarity of love and not one that excludes and condemns people.”

Usually, a C- grade is nothing to celebrate. That’s the letter grade The American Society of Civil Engineers just gave Illinois for its state infrastructure.

So what’s the good news?

In 2010, the last time The American Society of Civil Engineers released an infrastructure report card, Illinois was given a D+. Unfortunately, D+ is also the score given to the country’s infrastructure as a whole this year. Overall, it’s a bleak assessment of the country’s roads, bridges, railways, airports, dams, and more.

“Today’s rating from the American Society of Civil Engineers validates what we already knew: The condition of America’s infrastructure is unacceptable,” wrote U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Chicago, in a statement. “Investing in our connected infrastructure system is the key to improving quality of life, strengthening our economic competitiveness and securing our leadership in a changing world.”

In packed urban centers like Chicago, mass transit systems and highways were designed to accommodate far less people, and public infrastructure is breaking down as a result. According to Greg DiLoreto, the former president of the ASCE, crumbling infrastructure has a direct impact on Americans’ quality of life.

“More than 2 out of every 5 miles of America’s urban interstates are congested, and traffic delays cost this country $160 billion in wasted fuel and time,” DiLoreto told NPR. On top of that, “on average, Americans waste 43 hours a year stuck in traffic. Or in other words, one in your two weeks’ vacation, gone.”

Plus, roads in poor condition put more stress on cars, which leads to increased auto repair costs and even accidents. So while modern cars are generally much safer — features like anti-lock brakes have been shown to reduce nonfatal crashes by 14% — the nation’s roadways are not.

Fortunately, Illinois does fare better than the nation as a whole in the infrastructure report. Whereas the national report card rated U.S. airports as a D, Illinois was rated C+. Even though state roads and public transit systems were rated as D and D-, the state still outranked the national average.

In the wake of the report, many politicians are calling on President Donald J. Trump to make good on his campaign promise to invest $1 trillion in the nation’s infrastructure.