I hope you like smokers, because they all smoke like chimneys and have no regard for flicking butts on your property....eventually my parents went on a trip and of course the sober house people had a perfect view of them loading up their luggage, and what ya know after 25 years of not a single crime...they were burglarized, by a homeless junky ******* that was friends of one of the residents or was a previous resident....The sober house operators were ******** and not cooperative....their are more than a few of their patients were loud obnoxious gang banger types, giving the hard stares and intimidation types of attitude.Lastly.... on more a general note... the affordable health care act made some seriously horrible changes to the way insurance can deal with addictions....it used to be that their was a limit to how many sober claims a patient could make, and then the insurance company turned off the tap....now, a patient can relapse as much as they want and the insurance has to allow them back into another sober program...it essentially incentivizes the sober programs to fail, because it assures them a steady flow of repeat customers.Lastly, I found the few sober house operators that I came into contact with, during this time, to be vile phony insurance fraudsters and street urchins, acting like their title made them actual healthcare providers.Just my 2c...and sincerest apologies to the 10%(if that) of the industry that are a really providing a quality and ethical service.

Here are some specific questions I have, but any additional information is welcome:Safety and Community Feel: How do locals view the safety and overall community vibe in Pine Hills?

If it’s a safety issue, I’ll of course make sure the premises are as safe as they were before any required maintenance was done, but she is now suggesting that if I don’t reimburse her for those specific anchors, I am violating fair housing laws for familial status and/or tenants rights regarding not incurring costs for required repairs.

A landlord does not need to provide a reasonable accommodation for an emotional support animal when:The property is an owner-occupied building with four or fewer unitsThe property is a single-family home sold or rented by the owner without the use of an agentThe emotional support animal poses a risk to the health or safety of other people, or a risk of substantial damage to property (but this risk must be specific to the animal and cannot be based solely on assumptions about the animal’s breed)"Definitely have a chat with a local attorney to ensure your local laws apply, nonetheless since its an owner occupant, it sounds like you have some recourse to deny this request. 

Keep your personal safety and that of your tenants and neighbors in mind. 

Ultimately I am worried about protecting our business's reputation, the safety of our tenants, and having a viable rental. 

Now a landlord (and architect), I wouldn't build out the space without the second stair since it really is a safety issue/liability (especially in case of a fire) if anything were to happen.Full excerpt of building code below:According to the Chicago building code on egress requirements, the third story above grade plane within a dwelling unit [which in this case is the duplex-up unit], all the following conditions must be met:1.) the building is equipped throughout with an automatic sprinkler system2.) the floor area of the story does not exceed 1600 sq ft3.) the dwelling unit has an exit that discharges directly to the exterior at the level of exit discharge.Your third story attic space is unlikely to exceed 1600 sq ft, but you'll probably find the sprinkler system to be cost-prohibitive.

I want to add to my portfolio intelligently and patiently, making sure I don’t over leverage.

I can also say I'm very persistent, patient, and I ignore negativity.

I will be patient and wait months, still cheaper than replacing all carpets.