The basement at 5304 S. New England has been transformed into a pinball and video arcade by the house’s new owner. --A photo posted by the owner to airbnb.com

The basement at 5304 S. New England has been transformed into a pinball and video arcade by the house’s new owner. --A photo posted by the owner to airbnb.com

‘Mario’s Pad’ stays, for now

Spread the love

Neighbors vow vigilance over short-term rental 

By Tim Hadac

The short-term rental of the single-family home at 5304 S. New England (listed as “Mario’s Pad” on airbnb.com) will continue for the weeks and months ahead, despite the objections of some of its neighbors.

The property’s owner, 30-year-old David Anthony Williams, accepted an invitation last week to meet privately with 23rd Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares, herself an opponent of short-term rentals of single-family homes and other residential properties.

“The meeting went well,” Tabares told the Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound late last week. “It was good to meet him and share with him the views I’ve heard from many people who live on that block and in the immediate area.”

CRRNH MariosPlaceBasement 081722

The basement at 5304 S. New England has been transformed into a pinball and video arcade by the house’s new owner. –A photo posted by the owner to airbnb.com

Those views include fears that 5304 will essentially become a party house and possible a menace to the well-being of the neighborhood.

“How will any of us know who [Williams] is renting to, and when?” asked one neighbor who requested that his name not be disclosed. “The renters may be just a group of nice people; but on the other hand, it could be a bunch of gangbangers having an all-night party. Nobody knows.

“We work hard to live in a nice neighborhood, a quiet neighborhood, a stable neighborhood,” he continued. “Now we have to put up with this? No. This is unacceptable.”

Williams purchased the property in May, applied for and obtained a short-term rental license from the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and then registered with airbnb.com.

He has said he is a responsible property owner dedicated to being a good neighbor, and that he has done everything legally and above board.

Tabares said she is proceeding with a petition drive to ban short-term rentals in the precinct that includes 5304. She planned to submit petitions to BACP this week, which will start a 30-day review process. Assuming the petitions pass muster, the proposal to ban short-term rentals in the precinct will be introduced into City Council. At the earliest, short-term rentals will be banned in the precinct sometime in October—although it would not be retroactive.

Regarding 5304, Tabares urged neighbors to remain vigilant. Anyone who spots illegal activity or suspects it is advised to call 911 (not 311) to report it, and then call Tabares’ office at (773) 582-4444 to alert her staff.

If enough legitimate complaints are made, Tabares said, Williams could be summoned to an administrative hearing with BACP in City Hall, possibly resulting in the revocation of his license.

To date, she said, there has been just one 911 call made in recent weeks, regarding 5304—according to what police have said.

Mario’s Pad is listed on airbnb.com at a rate of $899 a night, with a two-night minimum. After fees are added, the rate jumps to near $1,100 a night. The listing has a clearly stated prohibition on parties, events and indoor smoking.

“I think the price itself is an indication that you won’t see lowlife gangbangers renting it,” said another neighbor, who also asked that his identity not be disclosed. “Why don’t these neighbors raising such a fuss mind their own business? [Williams] is doing everything legally.”

Tabares said she is “very upset” with the process by which property owners obtain BACP licenses to rent houses. She said that so many other things homeowners want to do that require city permits—everything from putting an addition on a home to building a driveway to even having a block party—take longer than getting a BACP short-term rental license.

Sitting in on the meeting at Tabares’ office was Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch President Al Cacciottolo.

“The alderman ran the meeting well,” he said. “She was very authoritative and made it clear what the community expects [of Williams]. Garfield Ridge is a place where people watch out for each other. We protect each other and each other’s property. That was made very clear. I don’t expect any problems going forward.”

Click here to read earlier coverage of this issue.

5 Comments

  1. Shelia Evans on August 16, 2022 at 7:14 pm

    “Lowlife gangbangers” can afford a lot of things due to their illegal drug sales income and fraudulent credit card scams.



  2. Lauren on August 17, 2022 at 2:21 am

    If I had the funds I would rent this place. I love pinball. I think with the amount of pressure placed on the owner all will be well. There are plenty of other people causing trouble in the district to worry about. I wish him well.



  3. Clark on August 17, 2022 at 4:30 pm

    I agree with the other neighbor. Mind your own business. 899 a night is not going to bring in lowlifes. The host can also can approve who stays in an Airbnb by reviewing their account history. Neighborhood has other issues that are more important.



  4. Eric on August 17, 2022 at 7:13 pm

    The Neighborhood has other issues that are more important. The nightly rate definitely will not bring in lowlifes.



  5. Clark on August 17, 2022 at 9:10 pm

    Sure Shelia and I’m sure the first place they are looking for is an Airbnb with pinball and arcade games in a neighborhood filled with police. Certainly they have an Airbnb account with stellar reviews too to be approved. Be realistic and stop drinking the koolaid.



Local News

John Leonard (from left), Alexa Edwards and Dr. Bill Toulios of Argo High School, sculptor Sonja Henderson,  Congressman Bobby Rush, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Rev. Wheeler Parker, Dr. Marvel Parker, and Rev. Jimmie Daniels gather at the Emmett Till Center in Summit on October 21. (Photo by Carol McGowan)

Interior Secretary Haaland tours site of Emmett Till Memorial

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, visited Summit last Friday to get a first-hand look at the site of the future Mamie Till Mobley and Emmett Till Memorial at Argo High School. Haaland then met with community leaders and had lunch with Emmett’s cousin, the Rev. Wheeler Parker, at the…

One of several animal care specialists at Brookfield Zoo, painstakingly counts each Puerto Rican crested toad tadpole prior to shipping them to Puerto Rico, where they are being released to the wild as part of a conservation program to repopulate the species in its native habitat. (Photo courtesy of Jim Schulz/CZS-Brookfield Zoo)

Brookfield Zoo sends thousands of endangered Crested Toad Tadpoles to Puerto Rico 

Spread the love

Spread the loveIn an effort to help increase the wild population of the Puerto Rican crested toad, last week, the Chicago Zoological Society sent just over 8,200 tadpoles that hatched at Brookfield Zoo to be released to the wild in Puerto Rico. The species, which is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural…

Demonic jesters, scary clowns and Michael Myers are among the characters at Roeback's Nightmare. (Photos by Don Pointer)

Chills and thrills abound at Bridgeview’s Roeback’s Nightmare

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Bridgeview’s Tony Roeback begins looking forward to Halloween when most people are grilling burgers and cooling off in backyard pools. Roeback begins working on Roeback’s Nightmare in mid-July to be ready to serve up chills and thrills when October rolls around. For the past two years, he has turned his…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

6th District changes do not bother Pekau or Casten

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The Illinois 6th Congressional District has been re-aligned but that doesn’t bother the two guys running for Congress. The district includes all or parts of Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Park, Oak Lawn, Hickory Hills, Evergreen Park, Worth, Chicago Ridge, Palos Hills Bridgeview, Bedford Park, Willow Springs, Countryside, Hodgkins, and…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Clear-Ridge Reporter and NewsHound October 26, 2022

Spread the love

Spread the love

Arms are raised by (left-to-right) the referee, Nolan Baudo and Mike Donegan after Donegan's touchdown reception against Brother Rice Friday night. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Pigskin Wrap: Marist great late in win over rival Rice; area teams prep for playoffs

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Marist didn’t have too much time to savor its’ come-from-behind rivalry 34-16 win over Brother Rice. Twenty-fours hours later, the IHSA announced its playoff pairings, with the RedHawks (6-3) drawing the eighth seed and on the road at 15th seeded Naperville North (7-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in…

Sandburg freshman Lindsey Gerhardstein, shown receiving encouragement during the SWSC Conference meet earlier in the month, won a regional title on Saturday. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Area Sports Roundup: Sandburg cross country runners bring home two titles

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Staff Writer Sandburg doubled its pleasure in cross country regionals. Both the boys and girls came up with regional titles at Midlothian Meadows in Midlothian on Oct. 22. The Eagles girls won their first regional title since 2015, according to the IHSA, with 23 points. Runner-up Mother McAuley finished with…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Mount Carmel comes back to top Loyola, finishes regular season unbeaten

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Steve Millar  Correspondent With his team trailing Loyola by 10 points at halftime in a battle between two unbeaten teams, senior quarterback Blainey Dowling had a message for his Mount Carmel teammates. Dowling called upon them to remember who they are. “I gathered the team up and I said, ‘Hey, the first…

SRP-IMAGE-Logo

Mother McAuley tops Lyons; teams could meet again in sectionals

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Randy Whalen Correspondent Senior Night is always a special event. Especially when senior twins are on the team. The Moonan twins, Maeve and Jillian, played their final home match together at Mother McAuley last week and the Mighty Macs sent them out in style. In a possible postseason preview, McAuley made short…

Brookfield Zoo’s sulcata tortoises seem to enjoy the pumpkins they received for enrichment. (Photo courtesy of Jim Schulz/CZS-Brookfield Zoo)

Brookfield Zoo’s animals receive Halloween treats

Spread the love

Spread the loveThis week, several animals at Brookfield Zoo received pumpkins for enrichment. The sulcata tortoises; goats; PJ, a prehensile-tailed porcupine; and Hani and Kartik, the zoo’s two sloth bears all seemed to enjoy their Halloween treats. Pumpkins given to Brutus and Titus, the zoo’s African lions, were filled with bones and meat. Animals also…

Neighbors

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

Appeals court skeptical of Mike Bost’s case to stop ballot counts after Election Day

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A panel of federal appellate judges on Thursday seemed skeptical of legal arguments made on behalf of Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, who claims Illinois’ law allowing counting of mail-in ballots for two weeks after an election is in violation of federal law. Bost’s late 2022…

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

DCFS hires on-the-spot at hiring events

By BETH HUNDSDORFER  Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com Cyrenthia Threat spent Wednesday morning at a hiring event in Fairview Heights waiting for word on whether she was hired by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  Threat wants to move to Illinois from Georgia where she works as a social worker. She has 20 years…

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

Capitol Briefs: Advocates push for guaranteed income, child care assistance

By HANNAH MEISEL & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case of actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted for staging a hate crime against him in 2019 in a case that drew criticism for Cook County’s top prosecutor. Smollett made what turned out to be…

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

Illinois teacher shortage persists, survey finds

By PETER HANCOCK  Capitol News Illinois  phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com  SPRINGFIELD – Illinois continues to suffer from a shortage of teachers and other education professionals, although recent efforts by the state to ease the strain have made an impact.  That’s according to the latest annual survey of school officials from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools,…

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

Bills in state Senate would further regulate battery storage and disposal

COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Two bills that would regulate battery disposal and storage are awaiting action from the full Illinois Senate after unanimous committee approval.   Senate Bill 3481, sponsored by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, would require facilities that store electric vehicle batteries to register with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency…

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

Prisoner Review Board chair, member resign in wake of boy’s fatal stabbing by released inmate

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com The longtime chair and a relatively new member of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board have resigned, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced Monday. The governor’s office announced the pair’s resignations within hours of each other nearly two weeks after Crosetti Brand was released from Stateville Correctional Center. Brand is…

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

Highest-ranking woman in state police history reflects on experience as force looks to diversify

By ALEX ABBEDUTO   Capitol News Illinois  abbeduto@capitolnewsillinois.com  The night before Rebecca Hooks started at the Illinois State Police Academy in 2002, she spoke on the phone with her father and her brother – both of whom worked in law enforcement.  Her father encouraged her, telling her she was strong and could get through the…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans

 By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO — State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce Commission forced the state’s two major electric utilities, Commonwealth…