Autumn Ridge resident says Building Four condemnation left tenants displaced as Village weighs receivership and potential buyer

Emily Inman, a resident of Autumn Ridge, told the Village of Park Forest Board of Trustees on Feb. 7 that she is staying at a Holiday Inn after Building Four at Autumn Ridge was condemned and that repeated miscommunication from property management and the owner has left tenants without promised replacement units.

Inman said, citing a Chicago Tribune report, that the property may owe the Village approximately $900,000 in overdue water charges and that the Village might pursue action through the Will County Courthouse to appoint a probate overseer of the property’s estate. She also described attempts to set up a small food pantry at the hotel for displaced residents, saying hotel management closed the pantry after directives from Rakisha, the property-management lead named in the transcript.

Village Manager Jon Kindseth told the Board the Village filed for receivership in the fall and that the process is pending. He said a voluntary sale to a Chicago-based buyer with its own management team has been proposed and could move faster than a receivership, which he estimated could take eight to twelve months if pursued. Kindseth said the Village has met with a potential buyer and that receivership remains a last resort.

Kindseth clarified that only Building Four has been condemned so far and that Building One, while in poor condition, has not been condemned. He attributed some rehousing delays to intentional vandalism in units undergoing rehabilitation and said the Village required Autumn Ridge to provide accommodations and to prepare units for displaced tenants.

On the question of outside assistance, Kindseth said the Village observed a social media post indicating CEDA would come to the property and that the Village contacted Rakisha after reports that Stringer, the owner or owner’s representative named in the transcript, was preventing residents from receiving assistance. According to Kindseth, Stringer replied the reports were untrue and CEDA was welcomed; CEDA was scheduled to be hosted at the community center the day after the meeting. The Village also worked with the Will County Emergency Management Agency to bring Together Partners and the Red Cross to provide assistance.

Inman told the Board she believed management had provided residents with misinformation about who was assisting; she said the Red Cross did not appear as residents had been told and that management at times said CEDA was assisting management only. Kindseth offered Inman the role of liaison for the 19 hotel-displaced units to improve communication between residents and the Village; Inman accepted.

Next steps listed at the meeting: the Village is continuing to pursue a voluntary transaction with the prospective buyer while the receivership filing remains pending, and CEDA was scheduled to provide services at the community center the following day. The meeting record does not show a formal vote or other action on receivership or a sale.