As arctic air hammered Park Forest this week, 17 apartments at the Autumn Ridge complex went cold, leaving residents to improvise their own survival plans while the village stepped in and condemned one of the buildings. Tenants say they have been leaning on space heaters, crashing with friends or relatives, or camping out in the warmest rooms they can find while crews and local officials work to get the heat back on.
Residents told NBC Chicago that the heat first failed in some units on Monday. Tenant David Riley said his heat actually went out after a pipe burst two weeks ago and that the building has been hit with recurring problems. Another resident, Hilary Jimmar, told the same outlet that her living room had warmth while her bedroom stayed cold, which has forced households to rely on portable heaters just to get through the night.
According to public notices from the Village of Park Forest, officials have condemned the building at 133 North Arbor Trail and ordered the owner to provide temporary shelter for the 17 affected units. The village notes that Village Hall is open as a warming center during regular business hours and that the Park Forest Police Department is available around the clock as an official warming location while conditions are monitored. The village said it will continue to hold the property owner accountable and work to ensure residents are treated "safely, fairly, and with dignity."
Problems stretch back to last summer
This outage is the latest chapter in a string of complaints at Autumn Ridge. Local reporting documented multiple air-conditioning failures during last summer’s heat, and municipal officials previously issued citations as residents pushed for repairs. As reported by CBS Chicago and covered in local outlets, the complex drew repeated enforcement attention during 2025 over heating and cooling breakdowns and other code issues.
Where tenants can turn
Village officials told NBC Chicago that ownership has advised the village that it will place affected residents in area hotels for the foreseeable future while repairs and inspections move forward. In the meantime, the village is steering residents to Village Hall and the Park Forest police station as warming centers and urging them to contact village staff for help finding shelter and reporting damage. The village’s public notices list details for warming-center hours and cold-weather safety guidance.
Officials say they will continue inspections and pursue code-enforcement remedies where appropriate, and previous reporting indicates the village has issued citations and pressured management to make repairs. Tenants who have suffered property damage or ongoing service failures are being encouraged to document conditions, keep copies of any correspondence with management, and file complaints with the village’s Building & Community Development office so enforcement and potential remedies can be pursued.
