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'I Was Completely Unaware': Brookfield Homeowner On Apartment Complex Looming Large Over Her House, Obstructing Views

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A suburban woman is feeling cramped in her own front yard.

And she's blaming her new next door neighbor who's only inches away from her home. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports on a story you'll only see on CBS 2.

There is the new apartment complex going up. It's about 18 inches away from the homeowner's house. She said that's not the real problem.

The walls of a new apartment building are now the only view she has when she looks out the side and back windows of her house.

Paulette Delcourt said she moved to Brookfield for its quaint, picturesque feel. But now Delcourt said she hears...

"Nail guns, sawing and the noise is so unpleasant," Delcourt said. "I don't really go outside. I don't sit out there at all."

Delcourt said she bought her 110 year-old home here on Grand Blvd in 2019. Next door at the time was a brick storefront, which was about the same height as her home.

About 11 months later in 2020, construction started on a 17-unit apartment complex. Delcourt said she was never told it would be going up right next to her home, making her new view the side of an apartment building.

And ending her privacy.

"When I moved in, I was completely unaware and there was no signage," said Delcourt. "There was nothing on the old building to say that it was going to be demolished."

In a statement from the Village of Brookfield, the Assistant Village Manager said the project was approved in 2018, adding:

"Proper notices were provided, including a sign on the site notifying the public of the upcoming public hearings for the property."

"Well I didn't purchase the property until November, December of 2019, so I never saw anything related to the work that would be happening," Delcourt said.

Delcourt said she did ask her realtor about the possibility of construction before buying her property, but not the village.

"The only thing that I had heard at the time of purchase was that there had been plans, but the plans were scuttled."

Delcourt said she wants her story to serve as a cautionary tale.

Do your due diligence when buying a property. Check with your zoning department, building department and local official before you buy.

 

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