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Chicago Tribune
17-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Lansing considers TIF district at struggling Torrence Avenue shopping center
Lansing officials are studying whether to create a tax increment financing district at the long-struggling Landings Shopping Center on Torrence Avenue, north of 171st Street, could boost economic development there. The Village Board made way Tuesday for a feasibility study to determine the eligibility of properties within the shopping center for a TIF district. TIF money can be used to pay for public improvements as well as incentives for developers. 'We just have a lot of vacancies up there, and we haven't been able to do anything about it,' Lansing Administrator Dan Podgorski said Thursday. Podgorski said the village considered creating the Landings TIF district about five years ago but decided to wait until more of the strip mall's abandoned properties were off the tax rolls. The village owns one such property, the former Ultra Foods at 16831 Torrence Ave., which Podgorski says has sat empty for about a decade. He said establishing a TIF district could encourage another grocery store or other retailer to move into space that is now tax exempt. 'This would be a TIF that would be project driven — that we would need in order to bring those developments,' Podgorski said. 'We would need the incentive.' In a TIF district, property taxes for all government bodies are frozen at levels at the time it is created and any increase due to higher property values, the increment, is used to pay for improvements or incentives TIF districts typically expire after 23 years but can be extended to up to 35 years Other taxing bodies, such as school districts, don't see increased property tax revenue from any development until after the TIF expires, and don't have a share of any community's sales tax money redevelopment might create. The board agreed to pay adviser SB Friedman, which similarly surveyed the long-vacant Sears store at Orland Square shopping center, an estimated $64,500 to survey the Landings Shopping Center. The area the firm will study includes several vacant retailers, some of which still have their old signs. On the north side of the strip mall, adjacent former clothing stores Factory 2-U and Givona Jolie stand empty, adorned with banners indicating their availability for sale. Cars begin to crop up further south in the parking lot, as Forman Mills and Burlington continue to attract sparse traffic. The area being studied also includes breakfast restaurant Golden Bear Pancakes and Crepery Restaurant, at 16851 Torrence Ave., and Kenny's Ribs and Chicken, at 16825 Torrence Ave. Podgorski said he is excited about the future of Lansing's economy as the village focuses on ushering in businesses on other parts of Torrence Avenue, including the additions of a Starbucks, Chipotle, Taco Bell and Chick-fil-a. 'You've got a dozen or more new businesses in that corridor — we feel we're like just getting started,' Podgorski said. He said there are other properties throughout Lansing the village hopes to acquire and redevelop. 'We're building that momentum,' he said.
Chicago Tribune
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Oak Park trustee urges fast action in response to racial equity report
From afar, many view Oak Park as a place of racial harmony where integration and equity are strong community values. But a recent 66-page racial equity assessment commissioned by the village of Oak Park and performed by scholars from the University of Illinois at Chicago Great Cities Institute indicates there remains much work to do for Oak Park to make its citizens feel included and valued. The assessment, which was conducted mostly in 2023 was presented to the Oak Park Village Board on July 1, a timeline that frustrated at least one Village Board member. 'I think we are probably leading the nation in discussing these things,' said Corey Wesley, one of two Black trustees. 'What I want to know is, what are we doing about these things?' The assessment was based on interviews with village staff, members of municipal boards and commissions and a survey that was answered by 557 people. It did not include interviews with Village Board members other than village President Vicki Scaman, an omission that irked Wesley. Many people interviewed for the survey stated that the reality in Oak Park does not match the village's image. 'Racism exists every single day in the village of Oak Park,' Scaman said as the results of the assessment were presented. 'What the brochure looks like and the reality don't always match. We have work to do.' The assessment states many Black people in Oak Park don't feel included in the village and don't feel as much of a sense of belonging as white residents. Black residents also are underrepresented on village commissions. 'The ultimate goal here is that more people here in Oak Park have a sense of ownership in our community,' Scaman said. 'We're launching a whole other way of governing. This report starts from a place of truth.' The assessment indicates white residents of Oak Park are, on average, wealthier than the village's Black and Hispanic residents. The median annual household income for white households in Oak Park is $124,609 compared to $85,506 for Hispanic households and $62,320 for Black households. Among households in Oak Park that are considered poor, 36% are classified as white, 34% are Black, 11% are Asian and 10% are Hispanic. According to the assessment, approximately 60% of the residents of Oak Park are white, 18% are Black, 10% are Hispanic, 6% are mixed race and 5% are Asian. The assessment also noted class differences in Oak Park, with homeowners having a median annual income of $141,471 compared to $56,810 for renters. It also noted a divide between north Oak Park, where homes and lots are larger, and south Oak Park, where homes are more modest and lot sizes significantly smaller. Wesley and village board Brian Straw, who is white, have argued that Oak Park should encourage increased housing density and making housing in Oak Park more affordable, which would encourage more racial diversity. 'We should find the things that are broken and fix it,' Wesley said. The assessment noted that a municipal reparations program, which has been studied, would likely not survive a legal challenge. A preliminary investigation indicated there is not sufficient evidence of racial discrimination by the village to survive the strict legal standard that courts apply in cases where government treats people differently on the basis of race. It noted when the village put out a request for proposal for someone to research historical evidence of racial discrimination by the village that could justify a reparations program, the village did not get a single response. Oak Park officials still are considering whether to issue a formal apology as part of recognizing harms caused by past practices and still may consider reparations. The village is conducting a racial equity policy audit to consider the racial impact of all village policies. The audit is expected to be completed in about six months. When that is complete village staff will create a Racial Action Plan which the Village Board would then review. Wesley, however, pressed for faster action. 'If we want to build trust for our community let's show that we're actually moving on these things quickly, as quickly as they come up versus a year from now,' Wesley said. 'I want to move quicker and I want to have more impact than we're having.'
Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Skokie Village Board blocks Buddhist center near downtown after neighbors object
The Skokie Village Board approved one piece of a proposal to develop a Buddhist center just south of downtown Skokie, but rejected two others, leaving the religious group with uncertainty. One village trustee also expressed unease after a resident referred to the Buddhist group as 'these people.' The Board, at its July 7 meeting, was considering a developer's plans that called for a three-story community center with 17 dormitories to be located at 7852 Lincoln Avenue, near Babb and Lincoln Avenues. It remains unclear whether they could modify their plans and get a green light from the village. Mayor Ann Tennes cast the tie-breaking vote to reject Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association's site plans to build the community center and also reject their proposal to include dormitories. Tennes did not vote on the proposal's religious use of the property, which passed on a 4-2 vote. 'The (Buddhist) group is now re-evaluating its plans. Since their original proposal included a dormitory and that part was not approved, they will need to decide how to move forward with a revised building plan for religious use,' said Meredith Gioia, communications manager for the village of Skokie, in an email. She said the group could potentially revise their plan prior to the Board's second reading, which would give the Board a chance to consider it at a future regularly-scheduled meeting. The Skokie Plan Commission had previously approved all three parts of the group's proposal before sending it to the entire Village Board for consideration. Before the vote at the July 7 meeting, neighbors living closest to the proposed site stated their objections to the proposal, including traffic and parking concerns. Nadiia Vasilj, who lives within a half mile of the proposed site, said she didn't oppose the project because it was a Buddhist proposal. 'Every single window of my house faces some kind of church,' she said. 'Lincoln and Babb are super busy. We also have a junior high at that intersection,' she said, referring to Lincoln Junior High. 'The structure itself does not represent Skokie. We really like the bank, which has Skokie representation, it has a beautiful building and a lot of parking lot [sic].' When asked why the developer set its sights on 7852 Lincoln Ave., Dharma Drum Mountain's President Alan Myers said he was aware that a former Zen center operated at that location at one point, and was hopeful that the neighborhood would be receptive to another Zen space. Some trustees on the Village Board expressed concern, however, that parking or traffic on Lincoln Avenue were not the real issue discussed by some of the commenters. 'One of the speakers referred to the residents, or the folks who want to come, as 'these people.' It just kind of struck a chord with me,' Trustee Keith Robinson said. 'People deserve to do what they want to do, practice whatever they want to.' 'We have to be more inclusive and not to 'other.' To me it was an 'othered' statement,' he said. A major sticking point that concerned some residents was the possibility of Dharma Drum Mountain hosting an abbot visit, which could bring in 200 guests to the community center. Myers said if the group decided to invite an abbot, it would be infrequent, and no more than once every two years. It also wouldn't be guaranteed, as the abbot would have to accept the invitation, he said. Provisions in the group's application also require Dharma Drum Mountain to give the village a 90-day notice for major events, and to provide guests with off-street parking within a half mile of its proposed location. Employees of the center are required to park onsite, according to the developer's application. The group's regular 20 to 25 daily visitors to the center are also able to park onsite and at nearby businesses' parking lots when not in use by those businesses, Myers said. The dormitory access would also be limited to six weekends a year, Myers said, and would be used for religious retreats. Each dormitory would have a limit of two guests. Trustee Gail Schechter asked whether the village should consider a parking permit for Babb Avenue residents to park their vehicles, which Mayor Ann Tennes shot down after immediate groans from the audience at the meeting. 'I had actually spoken to a couple of individuals on the block, and what I was told was that they do not want that because it's an inconvenience to them to get the stickers and more importantly to get the stickers for their guests as is required in permit parking areas,' Tennes said. While the Village Board rejected the site plans, it remains unclear whether Dharma Drum Mountain can make adjustments to the site plans to get a second vote from the Village Board and possibly receive approval for their project, commented Patrick Deignan, communications and community engagement director for the village. In early 2024, a developer intending to convert two seven-story residential office buildings into apartments failed to get an approval from the village board on its first reading, but after adjustments were made to it, the board voted to approve the development. 'There could be a wide range of scenarios to work through with the applicant on this proposal,' Deignan emailed Pioneer Press. 'The applicant is determining next steps, and has not given the Village an indication of what they would like to do and if they will make any modifications to the project.'
Chicago Tribune
11-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Homewood's Rabid Brewing finds new opportunities after losing out on plaza
Abbas Jaffary said Rabid Brewing is a space of healing and compares it to the American sitcom 'Cheers,' where regular customers check in on each other, and Rabid owner Raiye Rosado encourages people from every walk of life to show up, even if they don't buy anything. The brewery has become 'symbiotic' with the local roller derby league, said Jaffary, who has helped the league with administrative tasks for years. He said he often drives more than 20 miles to be involved with the league and brewery, which both collaborate on events and aim to provide an affordable, inclusive community space for members to 'regain their sanity if they had a terrible day at work or stuff going on at home.' Rosado said the hardest part about losing a bid in May to move her brewery into a village-owned space Park Plaza West was the potential loss of community space for the LGBTQ+ community and other 'folks that are othered in some other spaces.' But after the Village Board decision, Rosado said opportunities popped up for other locations for her business to expand its inclusive outreach. Rosado said in the next few months, Rabid Brewing will host more community events in potential new areas, essentially conducting a 'vibe check' to see if the business would fit in with the local customers. The brewery may move within 6 miles of its location in the next year, Rosado said. She looked at a possible space Tuesday. The derby league, called The Chicago Knockouts, is growing alongside the Brewery and has also found a few potential new spaces, Jaffary said. 'We've all just been coming together, just to look out for people and offer places to go,' Jaffary said. 'We need places to go just to have somewhere to center ourselves because people get isolated and when you find a community, you start to gain some sense of sanity and normalcy.' Rosado said the journey to expand started in 2023, when village officials approached her about redeveloping Park Plaza West on 183rd Street after she said her business, at 17759 Bretz Drive, had outgrown its backstreet building. But in May 2025, the village awarded the property to two commercial real estate groups instead. Village Manager Napoleon Haney said the board's decision boiled down to the ability to generate the funding necessary to make improvements, not only on the space that Rabid intended to use, but the remaining parts of the plaza, at 183rd Street and Robin Lane, including the parking lot. The village acquired the 183rd Street retail center in 2023 through Cook County's no-cash bid process. 'We worked with (Rabid) for a while trying to figure out ways for them to generate the financial wherewithal to be able to make all of that happen,' Haney said. 'But there are other spaces and places on that property that need desperate improvements as well, and that's heavy lifting for a smaller business.' The village's evaluation, presented at a board meeting in late May, concluded a proposal from Caton Commercial Real Estate and Granite Realty partners would better ensure sustainable commercial development, improve property conditions and maximize yield. Yet the village noted in its analysis that Rabid better responded to community needs than the real estate groups. More than 80 community members attended the May Village Board meeting to support Rabid's expansion, which Rosado and Haney both said speaks to Rabid being a safe gathering space. 'It's a scary thing to do what we did, and it's very scary to have it not turn out the way you want, but I highly recommend if you're going to do scary things, you get a huge group like that with you,' Rosado said. 'These people, they're not just drinking beer all day, they get together outside of my space,' Rosado said. She said she hung artwork instead of televisions in the bar to encourage the community members to engage with each other, which she said worked, noting that she's seen customers who met at the bar get married and even get tattoos of the business logo. 'They're really a part of each other's lives in a way that's different than I've seen at most other establishments,' she said. Tobias Cichon, who also owns Rabid Brewing, said the community's support has 'driven extraordinary interest from half a dozen other municipalities.' He looks forward with hope because he said the business has 'the greatest gift any business owner could hope for: a revelatory understanding of how much real love our people have for what we've built for them and with them.' 'We have only our people to thank for whatever good comes next,' Cichon said. Rabid Brewing plans to host its sixth annual event called the Feast of the Goat Queen on July 26, and Rosado said she is already planning next year's feast. Jaffary said he has fond memories of the festival, that it's 'just a good collection of people.' Recently, he said, the derby league and Rabid business communities walked and skated in Homewood's Fourth of July parade with customers of all ages. Both businesses have opportunities for children to participate, such as Rabid's weekly Dungeon and Dragons tournaments for children ages between 8 through 13.
Chicago Tribune
10-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Wilmette set to battle O'Hare airplane noise by joining commission
The village of Wilmette is looking to become the 61st member of the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission, an intergovernmental group focused on lessening the impact of aircraft noise on residential areas and schools. The Village Board adopted an intergovernmental agreement with the ONCC on June 24 in its bid to become a sitting member on the commission. The full membership must still vote to approve the addition of Wilmette. Wilmette Village Manager Michael Braiman said complaints from residents regarding increased traffic and noise from O'Hare aircraft prompted consideration of the village joining the ONCC. Residents have also objected to noise from Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling due to new flight approaches, Braiman said. 'Over the past 12 to 14 months, we have received hundreds of noise complaints, the vast majority of which were related to Chicago Executive Airport, but we also saw an increasing number of complaints we hadn't seen before regarding O'Hare traffic,' he said. These complaints involved planes that could be seen lined up over Lake Michigan, waiting to land at O'Hare, largely in the late afternoon and early evening hours, Braiman said. Joining the ONCC will allow Wilmette officials to advocate for residents and become better educated about flight patterns and changes at the airport, he explained. 'I think there's a lot of value in having a seat at the table and ensuring our residents' concerns have an outlet,' he told the Village Board. Formed in 1996, the ONCC's mission is to reduce the impact of aircraft noise through residential and school soundproofing measures and by advocating for quieter aircraft regulations, explained Maura El Metennani, executive director of the ONCC, during her presentation to the Wilmette Village Board on June 10. There are currently 60 members, consisting of 34 municipalities, 18 school districts, six Chicago wards and two counties. Meeting monthly, the commission works collaboratively with agencies like the FAA, as well as aviation experts and community leaders. It also oversees the Fly Quiet Program, which is a recommendation to airline pilots to use specified nighttime runways and flight routes to reduce noise. There is no cost to members to join the commission. Homes and schools qualify for soundproofing based on the current noise contour map, which depicts areas of noise intensity and was created using data collected by dozens of noise monitors located in communities around the airport. Based on the current map, Wilmette homes and schools would not benefit from the sound insulation program, El Metennani said. Wilmette Trustee Michael Lieber acknowledged that the village does not have the same problems with O'Hare noise that communities closer to the airport have, and questioned how the village might be received as a member of the ONCC. 'Do other members of the commission …. want a community that is further away from O'Hare as a member?' he asked, suggesting that more impacted municipalities may wonder 'Wilmette, what are you complaining about?' El Metennani noted that Wilmette wouldn't be the only suburb 'on the outskirts' of O'Hare to have a seat at the table, pointing to northwest suburban South Barrington and west suburban Hinsdale as examples. 'It hasn't been an issue in the past that I'm aware of,' she said. 'We're all working toward the same thing.' As for noise complaints related to the smaller Chicago Executive Airport, which is located 11 miles from downtown Wilmette, the communities of Wilmette, Evanston and Glenview have submitted recommendations to the FAA for alternate flight paths and are awaiting a response, Braiman said.
