Politics & Government
City Council Approves New Cooling Requirements For Senior Buildings, High Rises, In Wake Of Heat Deaths At Rogers Park Apartments
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the measure was "clearly needed" to address a gap in the city's building code.
CHICAGO (CBS) — Aldermen on Wednesday approved an ordinance requiring senior housing complexes and other large apartment buildings to soon provide air-conditioned cooling centers, in hopes of avoiding another tragedy like the recent deaths of three women at a sweltering senior apartment building in Rogers Park.
The ordinance, sponsored by Rogers Park Ald. Maria Hadden (49th), would require any housing complex for seniors to provide cooling systems in all common areas, capable of keeping the inside temperature at no more than 75° and the inside humidity at no more than 50% whenever the outdoor temperature is 92° and the "wet bulb temperature," a measurement of heat and humidity separate from the more common "heat index," reaches at least 75°.
