TOWN Case Histories - Clearing the Timber
1213 Grand Avenue

On a main Waukegan corridor, a long-vacant lumberyard building was both an eyesore and a public nuisance. Paint was peeling off the walls and rotten siding had begun to collapse, falling on the ground alongside rusted-out sections of gutter, piles of rubbish and debris, overgrown vegetation and severely cracked and pitted pavement. Trespassers had cut through the decrepit cyclone/barbed wire fence surrounding the property and were using the main building and outbuildings for illicit activities.

On behalf of the owner of a nearby apartment building, TOWN brought suit against the out-of-town trust that owned the property, seeking the cure of the code violations by rehabilitation or demolition. TOWN's offer to work out a settlement was refused, leading to a legal battle that stretched over a period of ten months. When rulings began to go against the owner of the lumberyard, the judge advised the owner to resolve the problem before expenses got out-of-hand. The owner then demolished the structures, and an order was entered dismissing the case.

At the beginning of the action, TOWN alerted Waukegan's building commissioner that trespassers were entering the property, and the city responded by closing the hole in the fence that was providing unauthorized access. When the final order was entered, the building commissioner agreed to monitor the lot and insure proper maintenance until redevelopment occurred.

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