Edward

Thanks for all the responses. We did get an architect and he originally delivered plans with several feet of space on one side per the code. We told him that would not work with the space we had and he agreed to eliminate the space. However, when we submitted the plans and tried to get the permit, the city would not grant a permit without the space or a second exit in the rear of the building. It's very frustrating given we've walked the alleys of Wicker Park and found numerous garages without an apparent second exit. Note that if there's sufficient space between your building and your neighbors, you could count that space as the second exit. Unforntunately, our builing only as about two feet between it and the neighboring buildings. Has anyone here had any luck getting a variance from your alderman in a similar situation? The worst part is that the association (our poor association president bearing most of the load) has spent money on an architect, lined up a contractor, ran back and forth to the city permit office and worked on this for a couple of months, and now we are back to exactly where we started. - Tue Apr 22 2008, 16:10