‘Bad breakup with Bugs Bunny’: Chicago woman returns from work to find construction next door and a wall one foot from her bedroom window

Chicago comedian Lucia Whalen was off on a gig, leaving behind a home with a small plot of green next to it. When she returned, it was to discover that a parking garage was halfway up, with a concrete wall one foot away from her bedroom window. As Whalen put it, “So earlier this year I came home from work, and a construction company had erected a concrete wall a foot away from my bedroom window, Looney Tunes style.”

This wasn’t just a minor inconvenience, either. When she first took to Instagram about the situation, she explained that the community had originally hoped for a community garden in that empty lot. Instead, they allegedly got a parking garage. The most jarring part of the whole ordeal is the lack of space between her home and the new structure. Then, in a follow-up post, she provided details, even including an image of a measuring tape to prove the distance to the wall.

The second post went viral, with over 1.1 million views, as she showed fellow comedian Sohrab Forouzesh the situation and explained her attempts to talk to the Alderman. When Whalen did the big reveal, Forouzesh’s immediate reaction was to agree with her: “Looney Tunes is how I would describe this.” As they stood there looking at the wall, they both cracked jokes

Mysteriously approved

Forouzesh jokingly told her, “It’s like you had a bad breakup with Bugs Bunny, and then while you were sleeping, he put up concrete outside of your window. This is what it’s like to live in Roblox world. Yeah, this is Fortnite world,” he said. 

Whalen, on the other hand, proposed a plan: “If I just take out my window and then create an entryway within the concrete wall, I could make a bridge from my window into the parking garage. And actually, if they let me park in there, it could just be a direct way to get to my car.” Now imagine if they were in the garage and felt the floor bounce.

Whalen has been working hard to get answers, though it hasn’t been easy. She claimed, “I spent a few months emailing my alderman. 311 has blocked me at this point.” In her calls, she says the plans were shared with her, and that the project had been approved with zero setback — a claim that raises questions about basic safety and maintenance. The Department of Buildings and the construction company have not publicly addressed the situation.

As noted by Birchwood Law, setback requirements are zoning regulations that dictate the minimum distance required between a structure and property lines. These rules are designed to ensure light, air, and privacy, while also reducing fire hazards. 

In Chicago, these ordinances are reportedly specific, and usually, projects require a few feet of space on all sides. A setback variance is a formal request to build closer to a property line than allowed, but it seems that in this case, the reality on the ground is far from ideal.

Whalen’s Alderman, LaSpata, did eventually reach out via email. According to Whalen, LaSpata said in the email that he saw her Instagram post and that this wasn’t what he’d agreed to, adding that he didn’t know why the Department of Buildings would sign off on it. An Atlanta content creator also recently shared his permit kerfuffle in trying to build his treehouse.

Whalen was clearly frustrated by the lack of accountability, noting that while she’s been fighting this, she’s had to deal with comments telling her to just move. “No, I don’t want to move. I’ve moved so many times in the last few years. I feel like I’m on the Oregon Trail. I’m just gonna fight this concrete wall,” she said.

Instagram was incredibly supportive. Many took to the comments with advice and concern for the serious safety violations at play. One user commented, “If most municipalities require windows in basements as a fire safety exit, how is this not a safety hazard?! How the hell do you get out if theres a fire blocking your door?” 

Another user echoed that sentiment. They wrote, “Call the fire marshal, it’s a fire hazard. One of your points of egress is being blocked in case of emergency. Room is now a death trap.”

Whalen noted in the comments that she already requested a Fire Marshall multiple times to address these safety concerns. She also clarified that the decision-makers and developers who pushed the project through were at fault. Whalen also told everyone that she only got a response from the city when her Instagram post got attention. 

For now, the wall remains, and Whalen is determined to fight. She even teased her next video, telling her audience to stay tuned for the next edition “when an anvil drops on my head.”