Public-private partnerships, funded by a dedicated tax on commercial properties only:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_improvement_district
Heard the guy on the radio who resurrected Bryant Park area in Manhattan; calls it 'social entrepreneurship.'
If it is true that commercial properties are not pulling their weight in taxes, perhaps an idea, although not a great time for a tax increase on anyone.
Commercial property owners will already be seeing a pretty significant increase in their real estate taxes with the Cook County Assessor's recent reduction in residential assessed valuations in Riverside.
I am surprised they are not getting a reduction too.
Well, I wouldn't want to see anyone get a tax increase right now, but it deals with two problems presented by the TIF 1) the assertion that the buildings in the CBD have for several years not had increases in EAV commensurate with those of the residences and therefore that the tax burden has fallen unfairly on the residents, and 2) resident tax money is not diverted from the schools to the business district.
I see Judge Chinn just gave fraudster Madoff 150 years. He is also the judge for the Wextrust guys' case, which must give them food for thought. This started me thinking about the CBD again, and particularly the Arcade building. The village was certainly harmed by the neglect of this project by both Wextrust and the bank that now has it. I wonder if we couldn't slap a daily fine against it for being left in dangerous and unsightly condition or something, some nice round number like $1000. a day That would be worth doing and would provide some money to winterize or even provide an incentive for the bank to move it quickly at a lower, affordable number. Any legal eagles out there know anything about how that is done?
Yes, I too have been wondering about that.
Has anyone noticed that the Harlem ave storefronts are getting really weird. My personal favorite is the residential mortgage company has been replaced by a psychic, which us a few doors down from the shop that sells body sucking in devices of some sort. Creepy.
Don/Catherine, I revised my earlier post here.
The building code states:
Section 106.4 Violation Penalties: Any person who shall violate a provision of the property maintenance code, or fail to comply therewith, or with any of the requirements thereof, shall be prosecuted within the limits provided by state or local laws and, upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00). Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been served shall be deemed a separate offense.
The issue is whether anything about the Arcade is in violation of the property maintainenece code. There is also language in the building code that states:
...any building or structure which, because of fire or other casualty or deterioration from any cause whatsoever, shall become unsafe or dangerous, or any building which is abandoned or is uncompleted in its construction . . . shall be deemed a nuisance. When such nuisance is found to exist, the village manager shall mail or deliver a notice thereof to the owner or his agent, and the lien holders of record and post notice on the property upon which said nuisance is located, specifying wherein said building construction is nonconforming, unlawful or unsafe. If, within fifteen (15) days after said notice is so mailed, or delivered and posted, the owner does not cause said building or structure or part thereof to be removed or repaired so as to abate the nuisance, the village manager or the president of the village may apply to the circuit court of Cook County to cause said structure or building to be razed in whole or in part, or to be repaired or altered as to abate said nuisance, with the cost thereof to be covered by the village until so recovered, or may apply to said court for injunctive relief to bring such building or structure into conformity with village standards, in accordance with the state statutes providing therefor.
If memory serves, hasn't the village faced these issues with Kafka-owned buildings?
Commonsense--yes, I've noticed this as well. Nothing says "Welcome to our upscale community" like a gypsy psychic. The other store you mention is just plain weird. But, to be fair, we do have an institution of higher education (the Bartending School) down the block, and the Finnish Consulate around the block on Burlington.
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