Tenants at River North apartment building express concern over crumbling balconies
A River North high-rise is raising safety concerns among its tenants.
They say pieces of concrete are falling off their balconies, leaving exposed rods behind.
Apartments at 10 E. Ontario lease for over $2,200 a month. They're listed for sale anywhere between $250,000 and about $1.5 million.
Though on every floor, the balconies are breaking apart.
"It's ... it's not ideal," said tenant Brandon Rubly.
Some of the apartments have additional structural rods.
"It can be better. It can definitely be better," said tenant Vinay Naring.
Another is blocked with caution tape, with a gaping hole.
"That balcony is servicing their apartment and they step out, you could have a potential of a loss of life because there simply isn't a concrete balcony to stand on if they're not paying attention."
Expert Mae Whiteside Williams, founder and CEO of CKL Engineers, shared what could be a worst-case scenario.
"The fractured concrete sections at the edge of the slab, they could break loose at any moment and they could fall onto the lower balconies or just straight onto the public right-of-way," Williams said.
She points to the red coloring on the metal and what the threat of a cold, wet winter could mean.
"You have this issue of rust and once rust expands, like, volume-wise, it's going to break loose all the concrete all around it."
The Department of Buildings told CBS News Chicago they looked into the issue. Meanwhile, tenants have a simple request — a sturdy and supportive balcony that won't fall.
The building's management company says the building's board is aware of the issue but has no timeline on when it will be fixed. They say they're trying to figure out a company that'll be up to the job.
