Latest news with #NilesVillageBoard
Chicago Tribune
22-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Niles leaders establish Touhy Avenue TIF expecting a $17M haul, jumpstart new development
Niles village leaders hope a new tax increment financing district on Touhy Avenue will spearhead an estimated $17 million in redevelopment along the corridor. The Niles Village Board voted 6-0 at its March 25 meeting in favor of ordinances formally creating the Niles Southwest Touhy Corridor TIF Redevelopment Plan and Project. The TIF includes parcels located on the north and south side of Touhy Avenue – bounded by Harlem Avenue to the west, the North Branch of the Chicago River to the east and parcels fronting Touhy Avenue to the north and south by North Milwaukee Avenue. If the town secures a developer for the area, village leaders are projecting an increase in the equalized assessed valuation for that area from the current $3.79 million to between $9 million and $12 million over the 23-year term of the TIF. 'Every day it's sitting the way it is, we're losing money,' mayor George Alpogianis told Pioneer Press. 'We know we have to do something. It's been 2½ decades since anything has been built in Niles. We need to start rolling the dice and try to respect and carry out the wishes of the citizens who have asked for this over the last four years.' The mayor believes the new TIF — which was approved by the Joint Review Board of affected taxing districts in December and presented to residents during a public hearing in January — will attract developers to build a mixed-use development. It would include residential, retail, and commercial spaces expected to generate more property and sales tax revenues, as well as new jobs. The board approved three ordinances March 25 that establish the TIF: One to approve a tax increment development plan and redevelopment project; a second designating the project area; and the third adopting tax increment allocation financing. The board started discussing this new TIF district in 2023, which connects to another TIF created six years ago at Touhy and Harlem avenues, according to village documents. 'That area has been desolate for quite a while and not generating a lot of revenue,' Alpogianis said. The village bought the bank on the northeast corner of Touhy and Harlem avenues years ago to 'control what was going to be built there in the future,' leaders said. However, village officials discovered there wasn't enough TIF money to attract developers to stimulate the redevelopment they desired for that area. 'How are you going to make it more sexy?' the mayor said village leaders questioned. 'How do you better entice people?' As a result, they decided to create this adjoining Southwest Touhy Corridor TIF district which Alpogianis said will combine the two areas to stimulate development in both TIF districts. In fact, village officials have been in recent discussions with Nea Maya Real Estate Development which is proposing a 200-unit luxury apartment building at Harlem and Touhy avenues which would have retail on the first floor and seven stories of residential, a dog park, gym, sauna and swimming pool. If approved, the mayor hopes this project will be built out over the next three years. 'We've been very successful with our TIFs,' Alpogianis said. 'It's been a tool and it's an investment. The tax increment from this project is going to go way up from apartments, revenue from retail businesses and people spending more money in the village of Niles.' Last year, he said the village generated $2 billion in retail sales, which helps the village keep its share of residential property taxes low. 'We're keeping these businesses open and creating new businesses, generating sales tax revenue and bringing jobs to the area,' the mayor explained. 'We're not only trying to retain but create a bigger base. We have to look at it as how it helps us in the future keeping our property tax base at only 10 cents of every dollar,' Much of the area in the new TIF district predates the village's first comprehensive plan and contains 10 structures on 59 tax parcels and makes up almost 20 acres,according to village data. Fifty percent of the buildings in the area are over 35 years old and showing their age, according to the February redevelopment plan jointly created by the village and the consulting firm, Ryan Inc. Village officials determined that establishing a TIF would help to achieve economic development in the area identified in the village's 2024 Comprehensive Plan. Officials found that this area met five of the TIF qualification factors, including deterioration; obsolescence, deleterious land use or layout, as well as lack of community planning and lag or decline in EAV. 'This is an important revenue-generating part of town,' Niles Community Development Director Chris Raguso stated in an email to Pioneer Press. 'This TIF compliments current redevelopment efforts at Harlem and Touhy and Gross Point and Touhy. These efforts are to ensure that we are stabilizing our local economy and proactively providing resources to grow. A TIF is the preeminent tool that affords a local municipality the ability to conserve our spending power and overall budget, stay competitive with area communities and continue to be a destination for residents, visitors and businesses.' The area has 'proximity to high quality transportation options and roadways can increase opportunities for new businesses, while improved streetscaping and pedestrian paths can support the existing commercial character of the corridor,' according to the village's strategic plan. The company that will ultimately develop the Southwest Touhy Corridor TIF District will be responsible for improving public utilities and infrastructure including roadways, sidewalks, water mains, sewer systems, public parking facilities, stormwater management and detention facilities and much more, according to village data.
Chicago Tribune
22-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Niles trustees, mayor remember resident Norbert Johnson as ‘one in a million … epitome of being a volunteer'
The Niles Village Board offered a posthumous tribute to a revered resident and former county deputy sheriff known for his local volunteerism and community camaraderie. Norbert Johnson died in February at the age of 94. The board approved at a recent meeting adoption of a proclamation in his honor – which was read aloud – recognizing his life's work 'Norbert was definitely one in a million,' mayor George Alpogianis said in an interview with Pioneer Press. 'He was the epitome of being a volunteer and giving back to the community. He was one of those citizens we cannot ever forget.' According to a biography on Johnson, he was a Cook County deputy sheriff, a clerk for Cook County probate court in the Daley Center for 27 years and was the owner of Johnson Real Estate Co. Additionally, he was president of the Niles Lions Club 10 times, co-founded the Niles Crime Stoppers, and was a member of the Niles Optimist Club, St. John Brebeuf and the Niles Senior Center Men's Club. Johnson was also a life member of the Loyal Order of the Moose and the Niles Historical Society, and a dedicated volunteer at Misericordia, according to his bio. 'Norbert Johnson's life stands as an example of selflessness, service, and leadership, his contributions enriching the lives of so many individuals in Niles and beyond, leaving a legacy that will inspire future generations to serve their communities with the same passion and dedication,' president pro-tem John Jekot read from the village proclamation during the March 25 meeting. Alpogianis had proclaimed March 25 'Norbert Johnson Day' in Niles. 'We need, as a community, to recognize people like Norbert who touch the hearts of people, so we can inspire others to do the same thing,' Alpogianis told Pioneer Press, recognizing Johnson for his 'old school dedication' and loyalty to volunteering with clubs such as the Lions Club. 'It takes a village, that's what we're doing in recognizing Norbert who died in the community and was part of the nucleus of what makes Niles, Niles,' the mayor said. Johnson also served on various committees of the Niles Chamber of Commerce and was honored as the Ken Scheel Chamber Member of the Year in 2007, and was a recipient of the Robert C. Wordel Living Legend Award in 2017. Since 2000, Johnson had managed the Clark Halladay Memorial Foundation, securing over $90,000 in grants for numerous local organizations, according to his bio.
Chicago Tribune
04-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Niles village trustees approve water hike to align with inflation, consider TIF giveaways for project
The Niles Village Board considered items at a recent board meeting that would have significant financial impact on the north suburb's local economy. Two major items on the agenda at the board meeting were rate changes for water and sewer service that would help Niles cover the cost of two major projects, and a resolution regarding over $2 million in tax increment financing incentives for a redevelopment project on Milwaukee Avenue Water rate increases had been discussed for years, according to a village staff memo explaining the current increase. The memo noted that since 2015, inflation has increased nearly 10 times the water rates in Niles. Inflation has increased 32.3% in that time period compared to a 3.3% increase in water rates. Trustee Morgan Dubiel said during that Jan. 28 meeting that the biggest motivator for the rate increase is to shore up funds for two major projects in the coming year: A new pumping station and replacing old service lines that contain lead. Dubiel said Niles needs $83.6 million to cover the two projects. He said the lead service line replacement alone, which Niles is required by state law to begin work on in 2025, is expected to cost approximately $69. Dubiel said that setting up longterm rate increases now will help keep utility costs lower in the future because it will allow the village to secure an interest-free loan from the state for the project. 'We have to prove we can pay it back,' Dubiel said. He also noted that the proposed increase would still leave Niles water rates about $20 lower than other nearby towns. The new rate structure will also include a monthly user fee. The board also approved a non-binding measure related to $2.2 million in potential tax increment financing incentives. The vote was on a non-binding project plan for Palms Market to create a mixed-use development anchored by their new location at 8905 N. Milwaukee Ave. The plan describes the project as a two-story, mixed-use development that would include a grocery store with a dine-in restaurant on the first floor and residential apartments on the second. The project's renderings also show that 1,400-square-feet would be available for retail tenants. The vacant lot at the corner of North Milwaukee Avenue and Ballard Road has been described as 'blighted.' The developers estimate the project will cost $5 million to build and requested $2.2 million worth of 'pay as you go' incentives from the Milwaukee-Dempster TIF district. Economic Development Coordinator John Melaniphy said the project falls perfectly in line with the village's comprehensive plan. He said the scope of the project complements the intended use of TIF funding, and that the developers were not in a position to complete the project without it. 'They cannot move forward with this project without the assistance of the village,' Melaniphy said. But the $2.2 million request caught Dubiel's attention. He pointed out that 'the money comes from existing businesses, and it's going to one private entity. It's the highest I've ever seen.' Trustee Craig Niedermaier pointed out that TIF funding doesn't come from the village's budget but from the TIF's own account, funded with the excess revenue driven by the economic growth the TIF itself creates. 'The village doesn't sign a check,' said Niedermaier. The Milwaukee-Dempster TIF district was established in 2018. Since then, it's yielded $1.4 million in cumulative revenue, according to the most recent publicly available yearly report. The fund's balance is less than $1 million. But, the requested $2.2 million in incentives would not be paid out all at once, according to village officials. The developer would have to apply for cost reimbursements as they accrue, and the project would have to be completed in two years. The financial impact of the project includes an estimated $65,000 in property taxes annually, $150,000 to $200,000 in annual sales taxes, along with creation of 12 to 15 new full-time jobs – amounting to about $1 million in annual pay wages, according to the TIF application filed.
