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Board continues LaSalle Avenue pipe-access dispute to allow DBI site visit
Summary
The board continued an appeal about exposed/encroaching plumbing and alleged property damage at 1746–1748 LaSalle Avenue to September 30 so DBI can inspect the site and report on property-line issues; the board encouraged the parties to find a neighborly solution but noted civil remedies may be required for access disputes.
The Board of Appeals continued to September 30 a disputed appeal in which neighbor Dennis Huang alleged that construction at 1746–1748 LaSalle Avenue damaged pipes on his property and would eliminate his future access to plumbing. Huang said a neighboring project exposed and broke pipes and that work continued after stop-work directions; the permit holder (Mr. Ho) and DBI representatives said the permit before the board was for fire-damage repair and that DBI had issued an appropriate permit.
DBI Deputy Director Lawrence Kornfield told the board the department had issued fire-repair permits and would not negotiate private repair agreements between neighbors; he advised that moving longstanding plumbing is difficult and typically involves civil negotiation. The board asked DBI to conduct a site visit to assess — to the extent possible — where the property line likely falls and whether the current permit work would create a new inaccessible condition for the exposed pipes. Commissioners urged both parties to seek a cooperative fix; the board continued the hearing and asked DBI to return with inspection findings and possible solutions.
The board emphasized that access to buried or framed pipes across property lines is ordinarily a civil matter and not within DBI’s permit authority, but the site visit was ordered to inform the board and the parties before the continued hearing date.
