Council Approves $25M Chicago-Main TIF District

Evanston aldermen approved a new tax-increment financing district that runs along Chicago Avenue from Dempster to Oakton streets by a 7-2 vote Monday night.

City council members voted 7-2 Monday to approve creation of a $25 million tax-increment financing (TIF) district centered at the intersection of Chicago Avenue and Main Street.  Ald. Don Wilson (4th ward) and Ald. Coleen Burrus (9th ward) cast the dissenting votes against the TIF district, which runs along Chicago Avenue between Dempster and Oakton streets and stretches out across Main Street between Sherman and Hinman avenues.  Presenting the enabling ordinances to council members, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz described the Chicago-Main TIF as an investment in the city’s future that would leverage existing assets. Those include a $1 million state grant to fund development of ultra high-speed internet service along the Chicago Avenue …

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Millie

12:19 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013

I agree John. The HUGH apartment building going out is really out of place for where its located. Leets have some Construction on CENTRAL   more ›

Empty In Evanston

What Should Move In at Chicago and Main?

In our “Empty in Evanston” series, Patch looks at vacant properties around town. Today, we focus on the southeast corner of Chicago and Main, where city officials are proposing a new TIF district.

City officials recently held the first public hearing for a proposed tax-increment financing (TIF) district at Chicago Avenue and Main Street. The district was created in part to spur development on the vacant plot of land at the southeast corner of the intersection, where a developer plans to construct a mixed-use office and residential building. As proposed, the TIF district incorporates a stretch of Chicago Avenue from Dempster to Oakton street, as well as parts of Main Street east and west of the intersection with Chicago.  Just south of the district is the new, 214-unit luxury apartment complex going up at 737 Chicago Ave.  According to city documents, officials have proposed a budget of $25 million over 23 years for the TIF district…

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Evanston Sees 7th Most TIF Money of Cook County Suburbs

As a whole, Evanston’s TIF districts brought in $7.1 million in 2011, down from $8.1 million in 2010.

The city of Evanston shuttled more of its tax revenue through tax-increment financing districts than the vast majority of suburban Cook County municipalities that employed the tool in 2011.    Among the 94 municipalities that had tax-increment financing (TIF) districts in place last year, Evanston brought in more money through its TIF districts than all but six municipalities. Designed to generate money for economic development in a particular area, the tool allows local governments to reinvest all new tax dollars in a certain district for up to 23 years. TIF districts in Evanston—as is true throughout the county—aren’t performing as well as they have in the past, however. TIF revenue declined by 7.7 percent countywide, from $298 million …

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Sully

4:35 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012

Case in point would be School District 46 in and around Grayslake. A district in which residents don't want to pay higher taxes and businesses won't pay.   more ›

City Council Approves Dempster-Dodge TIF

Aldermen approved enabling legislation for a tax-increment financing district at the Evanston Plaza shopping center during Monday night’s council meeting.

Despite opposition from some aldermen, Evanston’s city council approved creation of a new tax-increment financing district at the southwest corner of Dempster Street and Dodge Avenue. A vote on Monday night followed weeks of discussion, during which Ald. Delores Holmes (5th ward) asked for more information about the lease of anchor tenant Dominick’s and aldermen Don Wilson (4th ward) and Coleen Burrus (9th) both expressed doubts. With Burrus absent from the meeting, the council voted 6-2 on three ordinances necessary to create the TIF district. Aldermen voted 5-3 on a resolution to allow City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz to negotiate up to $2 million in initial funding to the shopping center’s new owner, Bonnie Management.   “This area of town…

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City Council Split Over Dempster-Dodge TIF

The vote on a $23-million TIF district could be decided by a single alderman.

For the second time in just over a two-week span, Evanston aldermen will have the opportunity to approve the formation of a Dempster-Dodge tax increment finance (TIF) district when they convene at tonight’s City Council meeting. But based on past council sessions and recent interviews, it seems that a vote on the formation could be decided by a slim margin — perhaps even a single alderman. The proposed TIF district would aim to help redevelop the Evanston Plaza shopping center, located at the southwest corner of Dempster Street and Dodge Avenue, and is projected to generate $20 million over 23 years. Having initially been listed as “for action” at the council’s June 11 meeting, the establishing ordinances were tabled after several aldermen…

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Attempt to Fast Forward Dempster/Dodge TIF Vote Fails

Aldermen Don Wilson and Coleen Burrus voted against suspending council rules in order to introduce and vote on the proposed TIF redevelopment plan in the same meeting.

City council members attempting to push through a vote on a TIF redevelopment plan at Dempster and Dodge were stymied Tuesday by opposition from fourth ward Alderman Don Wilson and ninth ward alderman Coleen Burrus. Wilson and Burrus both voted against a motion to suspend city council rules so that aldermen could introduce and vote on the TIF plan in the same meeting. If the council had voted on the TIF district Tuesday night, it would have allowed the city to implement the plan using the property’s 2010 assessed value, about $10.8 million.  Because a motion to suspend the rules requires a unanimous vote, the action failed entirely, and the city council was unable to bring the TIF plan up for discussion.  Earlier: Dempster/Dodge TIF …

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City Council To Vote On Dempster/Dodge TIF Tonight

Discussion of a possible tax increment financing district at Dempster Street and Dodge Avenue is on the city council's agenda tonight, along with consideration of prohibited parking hours on Davis Street and Sheridan Road.

Evanston's city council is expected to vote tonight on a tax-increment financing district and redevelopment plan for the southwest corner of Dempster Street and Dodge Avenue. Under a proposal created by the city’s economic development department and consultant Kane, McKenna and Associates, the Evanston Plaza shopping center could benefit from up to $20 million in tax increment financing over the next 23 years. With a vacancy rate of 52 percent and store sizes too large to attract new tenants, the shopping center has been in decline for years. According to Paul Zalmezak, economic development planner, the TIF district would allow the city to reinvest expected tax gains into the shopping center in order to spur growth and make renovations.  …

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Eric Lieberman

5:54 pm on Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Council Should Not Vote in Favor of TIF I oppose the creation of a Tax Increment Financing ("TIF") District for the shopping center at Dempster & Dodge for the following reasons: 1. The agenda for tonights City Council Meeting proposes that the regular rules of the council be suspended for this item. The ordinance will be introduced and voted upon at this meeting without the opportunity for …   more ›

Poll: Do You Support a TIF District at Evanston Plaza?

Evanston aldermen are considering a proposed tax increment financing district for the shopping center at the southwest corner of Dempster and Dodge. What do you think the city should do, if anything?

A proposed tax increment financing district at the southwest corner of Dempster and Dodge is moving closer to reality in Evanston. The city council held a public hearing on the matter this Monday, and aldermen are expected to vote on what could become Evanston's seventh TIF district within the next two weeks. If aldermen approve the proposal created by the city’s economic development department and consultant Kane, McKenna and Associates, the Evanston Plaza shopping center would benefit from up to $20 million in tax increment financing over the next 23 years. Related: Dempster-Dodge TIF District Could Come to Vote Soon With a vacancy rate of 52 percent and store sizes too large to attract new tenants, the shopping center has been in …

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Dempster/Dodge TIF District Could Come To Vote Soon

The city held a public hearing on a proposed TIF district at Dempster and Dodge before Monday night’s council meeting. Aldermen will likely vote on the matter on Monday, May 29.

A proposed TIF district for the southwest corner of Dempster and Dodge garnered vocal support from some aldermen and concerns from others during a public hearing Monday. “I see this as just a really important thing for us to do,” said first ward alderman Judy Fiske. “I think this will have an incredible effect on the four corners.”  Ninth ward alderman Coleen Burrus was skeptical, however. Earlier: 'Ideal Vision' for Evanston Plaza Discussed at Leadership Evanston Meeting “I am pro-TIF over all, I’m for redevelopment of areas that haven’t been developed, I’m just not sure how this works here,” she said. Under the proposal created by the city’s economic development department and consultant Kane, McKenna and Associates, the Evanston Plaza …

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Update: First Step Toward Dempster-Dodge TIF at Tonight’s City Council Meeting

The city is requesting the suspension of council rules to both introduce and vote on establishing public hearings for the TIF creation.

Evanston aldermen will likely approve two ordinances at tonight’s City Council meeting that will take the first steps toward establish a tax increment financing (TIF) district to assist in the development of the Evanston Plaza shopping center. In December, the plaza was bought in for $8.1 million by the Chicago-based real estate firm Bonnie Management Group. The shopping center has seen business dry up in recent years, leaving a number of vacant store fronts in the once-thriving plaza. The City of Evanston states that the new TIF district will allow them to invest in the plaza’s renovation, help attract new tenants and assist with other redevelopment opportunities. Monday’s ordinances will create a schedule for how the city will move …

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