Condo Owners and Renters Can Have Their Meat and Cook It, Too

Just in time for the Fourth of July, the Oak Lawn Village Board is poised to vote on a local ordinance that will clear the decks for landlords and condominium associations to permit grilling on exterior balconies of condominium, apartment and townhome buildings.

The special village board meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 17, at Oak Lawn Village Hall, 9446 S. Raymond Ave. The special board meeting will address this issue and other items left over from the meeting on June 9 (no, the board will NOT be voting on parking bans for RVs and boats on residential properties).

It should also be noted that the village board will hold its regular meetings on the second Tuesday of the month instead of bi-monthly in June, July and August, which means there will be some long meetings this summer.

Currently an ordinance is in place prohibiting outdoor gas and charcoal grills on exterior balconies. Although some residents do grill on their balconies, the local ordinance is not always enforced.

According to a resident at the Black Oaks Condominium Association, village inspectors have seen his gas grill on his balcony during their annual inspections, but never mentioned that he was violating any local laws until his condo association president mentioned it to him a few weeks ago.

Another Black Oaks condo owner said that fire inspectors did ask about grills on the balconies and said residents would be receiving letters from the village but no letters ever came.

Oak Lawn condominium and apartment dwellers argue that if balconies are concrete and the exterior of buildings are brick, they should be allowed to grill on their balconies. As it stands now, those in violation are subjected to fines of up to $750.

Village trustees will be voting on replacing language in the current ordinance and replacing it with wording from the International Fire Code pertaining to the use of “open flame cooking devices.”

The proposed change reads: “Charcoal burners and other open-flame cooking devices shall not be operated within 10 feet of combustible construction. No cooking devices shall be operated or located on combustible balconies.”

The change also deletes exceptions in the current ordinance for “certain homes and where buildings, balconies and decks are protected by an automatic sprinkler system.”

Oak Lawn Fire Chief George Sheets says the current ordinance prohibiting gas and charcoal grills on exterior balconies of multi-family dwellings have been on the books “as long as I’ve been here,” which is 2009.

Mayor Sandra Bury said she wanted the item placed on the special board agenda based on comments over the past year from residents and discussion with the Oak Lawn fire chief.

“I wanted it on the agenda before the July 4th holiday instead of waiting until the middle of July for the next board meeting if the chief agreed to it,” Bury said.

Also, the ordinance still requires charcoal and gas grills to be placed on concrete pads regardless of whether you live in a condo, apartment building, or a single-family home.

Should the proposed change pass on Wednesday, it doesn’t automatically mean that condominium and apartment dwellers can start cooking meat on their non-combustible balconies. That decision will still be left up to landlords and condominium and home associations.

“It’s meant to start a dialogue with those different organizations,” Bury said.

Home grills cause an average of 8,800 a year, according to the National Fire Protection Association, though not just in apartments or condominiums. About 29 percent of those fires started on a balcony or exterior porch, and 27 percent occurred in a courtyard, terrace or patio. Gas grills were the biggest offender.

Residents who wish to comment on the proposed change will have their chance to speak their piece during the public comments. Be sure to sign in before the meeting if you want to address the board.

Residents who can’t make the meeting can also contact their village trustee.

The village board will also vote on a possible intergovernmental agreement with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District that will enable Oak Lawn residents to receive free rain barrels. For some reason this was tabled for further discussion which seems like a no-brainer to us. Our friends in Beverly and Mt. Greenwood are loving their free rain barrels, where more than 2,000 have been distributed in Chicago’s 19th Ward.

Patch included the board agenda for Wednesday’s special meeting here, so you don’t have to hunt for it on the village’s website.

Story updated with new information.

Oak Lawn Village Board Agenda, June 17, 2015