DNA Info: South Shore Dominick's: City Council OKs Use of Eminent Domain

Former Dominick's 71st/Jeffrey - Eric Allix Rogers/flickr

So now the shopping center at 71st/Jeffrey in South Shore is now subject to eminent domain takeover by the city of Chicago. Now it's the city's problem to figure out who might fill the space formerly occupied by the Dominick's chain - which is owned by Safeway who opted to vacate their Chicago area stores last year.

There's been some difficulty in finding another grocer to take this spot. We've often heard that the Mariano's chain growing in the area after Dominick's departure isn't interested in this location but is looking at other spots in the South Shore area.

The current owners claimed per DNA Info that they had been close to signing a deal with a Puerto Rico based grocery chain. However there are those dismiss this company because of allegations that they stole electricity at this chain's Virgin Island stores.

So the question is will the city prove to be more successful at finding a new tenant for the Dominick's store than the owners of this property?

Using eminent domain to fight foreclosures...

Consider this post a follow-up to a previous post regarding a proposal by Ald. Ed Burke with regards to using eminent domain on those foreclosed properties. I would like to refer you to a comment on this from Black Talk Tony who is a frequent commenter. Do you agree or disagree?

Below is a graphic found over at the Chicago's Woodlawn Community FB page. It shows how eminement domain would be used on foreclosures. Apparently this solution is being proposed in the California cities of Sacremento and San Bernardino. Do you think this is what's needed in Chicago? Black Talk Tony has his opinion, but we're also interested in other comments as well.

Save North Lawndale!!!

Another eminent domain abuse story courtesy of The Bench.

Victory for the "blighted"

Clout City has the story about what happened with the Lincoln Square story. There was a demonstration outside of the Alderman's office and somewhere along the way the Alderman, Gene Schulter, announced that plans have changed. For now at least. Read on...

The city blinked.

That's the initial reaction from people in Lincoln Square regarding the city's retreat from plans to use eminent domain to force out all the businesses on the east side of the 4800 block of North Western. On the proposed deal the land would have been turned over to an undetermined developer, who would replace the existing buildings with condos and retail. Funding for the acquisition was to come out of the Western/North TIF.

It was actually one of the more interesting twists on use of the program. TIFs (or tax increment financing districts) are intended to subsidize development in blighted communities that would otherwise find it difficult to attract investment. In this case, however, 47th Ward alderman Gene Schulter was seeking public funds to keep private development out -- at least a certain kind of private development.

Schulter contended that the commercial strip, with its booming residential base, was starting to attract the interest of big-box chains. By beating the big boxes to the punch, he said, his plan would actually protect small businesses and help keep the community free of too much traffic and congestion. Sure, in this case protecting small businesses meant threatening them with government seizure of their property. But the declaration of eminent domain alone would help keep the Best Buys at bay: there's no market for land the city can snatch at will.

It was a classic case of the up-is-down, down-is-up logic peculiar to TIFs. As mandated by state law, the city commissioned a consultant's report, which argued that the area needed a TIF handout to stave off blight and underdevelopment. Meanwhile Schulter and planning officials kept insisting that tens of millions were needed to prevent overdevelopment.

Most TIF deals are consummated in the shadows, with hardly any opposition. This one attracted major heat from the start. Merchants and property owners on the block didn't want to sell, and resented the threat of being forced to. It was, they said, downright un-American for the city to snatch one person's property only to turn it over to someone else. The Castle Coalition, a national property-rights organization, rallied to the cause. On December 5 some 300 residents showed up for a rally at Chicago Soccer, a sporting goods store at 4839 N. Western. After the meeting, a large group of protesters marched over to Schulter's Lincoln Avenue office to demand that he drop the scheme.

Videos: Lincoln Square Eminent Domain Issue

A pair of videos about the Eminent Domain story from Lincoln Square. Hat-tip to The Bench...

Save Lincoln Square!

Yeah I know another part of the city, but worth looking at. Actually I want to hone in on this aspect of this story from the Sun-Times...

And the process is jamming up Nick Toma, who bought the burned-out historic-looking building next to Walgreens for a million bucks. He planned to fix it up -- rent out the storefront and sell four condos with two parking spots each.

"I buy nice building to preserve it and make it nice like old Chicago," Toma says in fractured English.

But he says Schulter's office told him there are plans to tear his property down, and refused to sign off on the permits he needs to fix up the place.

"I'm starving trying to pay the mortgage," he says. "I lose money because of alderman. It's a good building. I could have been done by now. I don't know what I'm going to do."

Schulter denied holding up Toma. In fact, Schulter says there is no development plan, yet. That's something that the community has to come up with and agree on before he even starts a search for a developer.

How that happens exactly is anyone's guess -- possibly over beers at Huettenbar?

But Schulter won't wait to create the acquisition list until there's a plan the community supports. The process has to start now because doing nothing might allow big-box stores to set up shop in the ward's quaint European village. So on Dec. 12, the City Council will probably approve it on Schulter's recommendation.

"There are concerns about government and trusting government," he says. "But it's trusting a person that's concerned about you, and is going out of his way to make sure the community goes in the right direction."

So what's the process...

In Mean Gene's 47th Ward, "the community has say-so in the future of the neighborhood," the ward boss says.

Well, about 70 neighbors marched to Schulter's office in the bitter cold Wednesday night following a community meeting to say they're not so pleased with the Lincoln Square strategic plan the alderman is pushing.

It's the only plan anyone has seen. And it calls for giving the city authority to condemn buildings near Western and Lawrence, call in the bulldozers and give the cleared lots to big-money developers who will put up six-story condo buildings with storefronts and indoor parking garages.

"Those are just hypothetical ideas," Schulter says.

So, why did building owners in the 4800 block of Western get notified that their properties were put on a city acquisition list that's now set to get the City Council's rubber stamp on Wednesday?

"It's the very beginning of a lengthy process," Schulter says.

Well it looks linke Gene Schulter is listening. Yeah he's the alderman who represents these property owned who aren't happy with the idea that the city can just take their land. I hope they don't and I hope that Mr. Toma can make a return on his property!

Chicago's Lincoln Square faces eminent domain threat

This was posted over at Illinoize. The information provided actually comes from a Roger's Park blog called The Bench

The City of Chicago is in the process of authorizing the acquisition of a block of thriving businesses in Lincoln Square in order to give the land to a private developer. The targeted block is located in the Western Avenue North Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, and if the city approves the acquisition of our businesses, they can use eminent domain to seize our property if we don't sell.

Eminent domain is supposed to be for public uses, things like roads and schools – not to give our successful small businesses to wealthy, politically-connected developers.

We are not blighted, and we are not for sale.
Come to a community meeting at Chicago Soccer this Wednesday to hear why we’re TIFed off, how it affects you, and what you can do to help.

Wednesday, December 5th, @ 7pm
Chicago Soccer ● 4839 N. Western Avenue ● Chicago, IL 60625
Free food and drinks will be served.

Speakers will include:
Imre Hidvegi, Chicago Soccer
David Smarinsky, The Dental Corner
Tim Le, Decorium Furniture
Christina Walsh, Castle Coalition Coordinator, Institute for Justice
If you have any questions, please contact Imre at 773-271-2255.
www.SaveLincolnSquare.com

Contact Alderman Schulter at 773-348-8400 or ward47@cityofchicago.org and tell him you oppose the use or threat of eminent domain for private development in the Western Avenue North TIF area.

Send us your comments at speakup@savelincolnsquare.com and we'll post them on the site.

Speaking for myself--John Ruberry here--these folks are right on the money. Lincoln Square is a pleasant community that does not need "urban renewal."

I just hope that this isn't the type of thing that could be done citywide when there's no need for engaging in activity such as this.