By Ben Joravsky
“This project was designed by a small core of people acting behind the scenes,” says Ron Ernst, a longtime Jefferson Park resident. “So when the rest of us found out what was going on we’re even madder, because it looks as though they’re trying to sneak something by us.”
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On December 1, Camiros released its Jefferson Park Business District Improvement Plan. Though short on specifics, the report said the business strip had “become somewhat obsolete in terms of its physical layout and general environment” and called for more parking (including a central garage), new facades, and street landscaping. An accompanying sketch showed a prettier, more prosperous street with several older buildings cleared for parking and newer stores.
But few property owners were as ecstatic. For instance, Lawrence Schumacher, president of Northwestern Business College, discovered that the report called for public parking on the lot where his college is located. “How could they just write us out of existence?” says Schumacher. “We’ve been in this community since about 1902. We’ve been in this current building since 1984–it’s one of the newest buildings in the area. We’re one of the largest local employers–we have about 85 employees and 720 students. It would be awful if we had to move to the suburbs.”
At the end of the meeting, Levar removed Ernst’s home from the TIF. Nonetheless, Ernst has been spreading word of the TIF to his neighbors, many of whom claim they received no notice of April’s meeting. As they soon learned, the project was part of a TIF district stretching raggedly along Milwaukee north from Montrose to the Kennedy Expressway. (This would be part of a larger TIF district Daley’s creating along Milwaukee south all the way to Addison.) As with most TIFs, development bonds are to be repaid with the increased tax revenue generated by the project.
Daley administration officials predict residents will learn to love the plan. “TIFs have become Mayor Daley’s economic development tool of choice, and for good reason,” says Becky Carroll, a spokeswoman for the Planning Department. “The city has lost 56 percent of its federal funding since 1980. This presents a daunting challenge to find ways to spur development. TIFs are that tool. Our studies show that for every one dollar the city invests in a TIF, the private sector invests $6.30. TIFs work.”
Planning officials have promised to meet with residents and assuage their concerns. “I don’t know what they can tell me to make me feel better about taking my property,” says Straus. “I moved here for a reason–I like the location. I put a lot of money in my business. I generate $18,000 a year in taxes. And what do they do? They come up with a proposal that wipes me off the map. This is no way to build local support.” o
