Future leases for units at an Oak Park apartment building where a girl recently died of an apparent heroin overdose will include a crime-free addendum to hold new tenants responsible for criminal activity that takes place in the building.
The addendum gives the property owner the right to terminate a lease if the tenant or anyone invited in by the tenant engages in illegal or criminal activity, said Oak Park village spokesman David Powers. Violation of any of the addendum’s provisions—which cite drug-related activity, prostitution and discharge of firearms—shall be “good cause for immediate termination of the lease,” the addendum says.
The idea to include it came out of a meeting last week between the property owner, Sara Stann, and village staff.
Last Wednesday, more than 100 separate violations were noted when inspectors from the Building and Property Standards Department and the Fire Department looked at about 50 units in the building, Powers said.
The inspection followed the Nov. 8 death of Kimberly Ciotola, 17, of Sheboygan, Wis. Ciotola and a 22-year-old man were able to get into the man’s former apartment in the building even though he stopped paying rent in September.
Wednesday’s inspection found units were missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as circuit interrupters that are required in kitchens and bathrooms. There was grease buildup on stoves, improper lighting and doors that wouldn’t shut in the stairwells, and a cluttered basement that was a fire hazard.
Powers said the village will prioritize a list of violations and set deadlines for the owners to get them fixed. Additionally, owners agreed not to lease any of the 29 vacant apartments, or others that become vacant within the next year, until they pass an inspection.
Police are still investigating Ciotola’s death, said Oak Park Police Commander LaDon Reynolds.