Barricades that prevented pedestrian access to a public river walk and tiered plaza near Trump Tower in Chicago were finally removed after months of complaints and a letter from the Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
In April, the Department of Planning and Development sent a letter to Trump Tower building management telling them to remove the fencing – with “private property” and “no trespassing” signs – by July 1. Several weeks later, the Chicago Sun-Times contacted Trump Tower management and the planning department to inquire why the fencing was still there. The fencing was removed 24 hours later, according to the Sun-Times.
The fencing violated the regulations of the planned development that stated that all open-air components of the development must be open to the public 24 hours a day.
According to Alderman Brendan Reilly, “The property has [Trump’s] name on it. But they have river frontage. And just because he’s president of the United States does not mean he should be treated any differently than the other property owners along the river who are required to provide public access to their riverwalks under their planned developments.”
Greg Zimmerman is senior contributing editor for FacilitiesNet.com and Building Operating Management magazine.
