and i've been a resident for the last 8 1/2 years at claire street. i walked by 374 fifth street on my way to work every day and on my way back home. so i'm intimately familiar with the building's impact on the neighborhood. we first heard about this project when a notice was posted on the building last december. taking us all by surprise. in the absence of any neighborhood engagement by the project sponsor, our initial reaction was the result of our prior experience with his business practices. and in their reputation. since then, we've worked diligently with community leaders such as mr. jim meko, mr. don falk, angelica drombier and many for their input on the project. while this project is being marketed as an increase in units in the city, let's not confuse quantity with quality. without adequate oversight and accountability, this project will in the long run provide less value to the city and to the hotel's residents. let me be clear. we are not opposing affordable housing. we are not opposing public housing or an s.r.o. the project sponsors have

. >> my name is nancy tucker and i live at 221 claire street which is one building away from 374 fifth street, the building we're talking about. and i want to address this issue at hand which is that you're being asked to approve releasing 23 units at 235 o'farrell and transferring them to 374 fifth street and increasing it to a total of 46 units. we in the neighborhood have opposed this initially and as we learn more about it, we continue to oppose it. we also do not oppose affordable housing. we do, however, oppose the 46 units going to the owner of the building at 374 fifth street and his partner from 235 o'farrell. that's the issue. the track record for this building and its owner shows that it has been trouble for the neighborhood, for over 10 years. i've lived in the neighborhood for eight years. so i can speak to that. when the building was in operation, there was significant crime in the neighborhood which you heard about. including the drug dealing, loitering on the corner of fifth and claire at all times, clearly visible drug usage on the property. many of us witnessed this o

the building contains a commercial unit on the ground floor at the corner with claire street that is not part of this project. the entire building has been vacant since the fire in october 2006 caused significant damage. and since then the building has undergone off and on internal work to repair the fire damage. the planning department received approximately 78 letters of opposition or concern and four letters of support for this project which have been passed out for your review. the majority of public comments from neighbors revolve around the potential operation and management of the proposed s.r.o. group housing project. the concerns stem from the poor management of the previous hostel and many neighbors had also like to see the project offer multiagency services, some level of affordable family housing, and operate under the city's direct access to housing model. there is also a concern that the property owner had unpaid property taxes. however, as of last week the property owner had paid all property taxes for this site in full. the d.r., the previous operation on the subject

clair street.ave to do some travelling. next why so many area orchards are already out of fruit. >> and the always entertaining sights at the comic convention in new york city. [ female announcer ] this is a strawberry pop tart. but this is warm, fresh-baked strawberry toaster strudel. [ music ] see the difference? pillsbury toaster strudel, the one kids want to eat. eating our loot at the end of the night... especially if it's totino's! ♪ ♪ we're the kids in america ♪ oh, oh, oh get 50-60% off coats for the family. and now 20% off all craftsman power lawn and garden and outdoor storage. plus get $70 cash back after mail-in rebate when you buy 4 michelin tires. sears . >>> you're watching chicago's very own wgn news at 8:00. >>> oh, there is something nice about heading out into the country in october to an apple orchard where you can pick your own bushels right off the tree. but mother nature apparently got the jump on the apple pickers this year. the orchards around chicago are already picked nea

. >>> the victim a 63-year-old man was crossing santa claire rap street last night when he was hit. we do not know how badly he was hurt. police say they don't know if the victim was in the crosswalk. >>> the owners of a country club in clayton are on the hunt for wild pigs. ktvu jade hernandez is clayton where neighbors say they were disturbed by gunshots. >> we will hear from jade in a little bit. in the meantime san carlos city council members are considering a source to outsource. city leaders say the cost of the agreement is getting too high. city leaders recently decided to desolve the services. that move is getting mixed reactions from residents. >> i don't think it matters as long as the service is there. what names on the truck. >> that would be another example of giving up local control. same thing we did with the police department. and i just don't think it's a good thing. >> san carlos recently agreed to outsource its services to the san mateo county sheriffs office. they are hoping to have a new plan in place. >>> the owner and manager of a san francisco printing compan

clair at cherry hill closed for flooding and street maryland at fawn grove road closed for flooding. in carroll county flooding stress block the northbound lanes of route 30 at route 482. we have a variety of road closures because of the high water and debris in the roadway, downed trees and the like. this is in perry hall bel air road closed at necker road in both directions as crews try to repair the sink hole. no word as to when it will be reopened. avoid the area altogether. but on the major highways we are looking good. 695 on the northeast side traffic moves nice and checking the drive times no issues on the harford testimony freeway. 59 good to route 3. and southwest corner from i-70 to 95, that takes about 6 minutes. megan, back to you. >>> its the first of october for those celebrating a birthday today, happy birthday like lucy randall turning 9 years old today. she and her family are transplant from fairfax county. they now reside in baltimore city. welcome to baltimore. lucy is in the 3rd grade and loves panda bears and whales. happy birthday. hope aid great day. and also

clair, wgn news. >>> someone is stealing parking meters boxes from the chicago streets. wgn's nancy loo is live at wells and north avenue in old town with all of the details. >> reporter: good afternoon. this is the latest wrinkle in the city's $1.1 billion praprivatization deal with a private company for street parking but word that entire pay boxes are being stolen has some people worried about their personal information. they don't take bills and only accept quarters. leaving the majority of drivers to use plastic when feeding the city's new parking boxes. word that 20 have been stolen is a real concern. >> i would be scared. hopefully none of the information is stored in the box and only goes to their database. you never know. >> each box weighs about 200 pounds and is bolted into the cement sidewalks which is why many wonder how the thieves could carry off such a heavy heist. >> that's crazy. i didn't think that people could actually do that. being that they are bolted in the ground. >> chicago police say the thefts have happened all over the city. mainly in area fi