Website Home   or   Forum Home

Riverside Info » About Riverside

1. MikeT
   Member

   This can be a place to summarize what we have learned since we started the investigation of the TIF in Riverside.

   Here is a reiteration of an opening defense of the TIF that I just found in the Traders.

   http://www.tradersofriverside.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=77&topic=19.msg65#msg65

   Kathleen Rush
   Newbie

   Posts: 2

   Re: Riverside TIF. The Facts!
   « Reply #1 on: November 14, 2006, 10:30:24 AM »

   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   VILLAGE RESPONDS TO TIF CONCERNS

   The Village encourages residents to become more informed about the facts concerning the proposed TIF district. We know that there is dissention, opposition and questions about the proposal. At the public hearing scheduled for November 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Hall, there will be a presentation and opportunity to share your concerns about the proposed TIF district.

   WHY A TIF?
   The Village Board has proposed a TIF district to respond to residents interests in supporting the Central Business District and the existing businesses. In 2005, many residents participated in a Community Needs Survey. Over 80% of the respondents supported the Village taking an active role to support the core of the community. The Board has done the planning, examined how to accomplish this goal and are now considering the establishment of a TIF district. The Board is being proactive to protect the community with the hope of diversifying its tax base and support an area important to the residents and our business community.

   EMINENT DOMAIN
   The threat of eminent domain is over stated and is a ploy to invoke overreaction. The Village President and the Village Board have indicated on repeated occasions that there is no intention of using these powers. There are 13 properties identified in the housing study which may be acquired with TIF dollars. If this occurs, the TIF requires that housing relocation expenses are paid if requested by the owner.

   REDEVELOPMENT —“ YES; HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT —“ NO
   There is NO Village policy that encourages high density development. Development in the Central Business District, with or without the TIF, is restricted by the Zoning Code that was adopted after many public meetings and public hearings. There are rules in place that limit height (3 stories or 45'), design materials, bulk, parking, etc.

   SCHOOL CLASS SIZE IMPACT?
   The Village Center development will add 22 residential units—¦it is not in the TIF District. The Fiscal Impact study that was done for that development calls for a potential 2 additional kids entering the school district. The TOD plan that is on file, at maximum development, calls for an additional 56 units to 61 units scattered between Burlington and Quincy. If you keep the ratio consistent, the likelihood is that the generation of new students to the school district would be 5 new students. Hardly over crowding that will impact class sizes. Also, it is important to acknowledge the stipend based upon the non-resident tuition (approximately $7000) that must be reimbursed to the school from any new student who resides in a TIF financed development.

   GREEN SPACES THREATENED? HARDLY —“ IMPROVEMENTS MADE POSSIBLE
   There is absolutely no residential or commercial development contemplated for Swan Pond, Guthrie Park or the area around the swinging bridge or existing green spaces. This is a contemptuous, utterly false statement. The Village cannot, by order of the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, contemplate any improvement on park land that is not park related. See the Village Attorney's detailed opinion on this matter at the Village's website, www.riverside.il.us under the TIF link titled “Report on Status of Parkland in Riverside—.

   The Village Board is approaching this matter in a very deliberative and informed manner. They have reached out to the school districts, the Swim Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Library and the individuals spearheading the opposition to the TIF effort. This is a complicated and lengthy process. It requires the elected officials taking the time to evaluate what is best for the community in the long run. Please take the time to attend the public hearing on November 21, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. or learn more about TIF's in general at the Village's website, www.riverside.il.us or call me, Kathleen Rush, Village Manager at 708-447-9987.

   Posted Wednesday Mar 21, 2007 11:07 #

2. MikeT
   Member

   the village said --
   EMINENT DOMAIN
   The threat of eminent domain is over stated and is a ploy to invoke overreaction. The Village President and the Village Board have indicated on repeated occasions that there is no intention of using these powers. There are 13 properties identified in the housing study which may be acquired with TIF dollars. If this occurs, the TIF requires that housing relocation expenses are paid if requested by the owner.

   COMMENT:

   FREEDOM IS NOT TRIVIAL
   The threat of eminent domain is not over stated, but is very real and very important. It goes to the VERY HEART of American principles - freedom of choosing the way you want to live and work as long as you are following the law and are not criminal. Also, at least some, maybe most of the private property that is at risk of being displaced are a huge part of their personal lives, and the grounds of the futures of whole families. In short, it is damaging to the freedom, to the financial, and to the personal lives of many town's people. BTW, many of the towns people are not rootless flyby the night people who were just here, but people who have been in town as good Riverside citizens 20, 30, 40 some years.

   THE FUTURE IS NIGH: EMINENT DOMAIN IMMINENT?
   Further, the Village expanded on these opening remarks and said that they would not want to tie the hands of future boards by prohibiting eminent domain. A new future board is less than a month away. Therefore, the comfort of the Village Manager's above remarks for a property owner in the TIF district, and in the displacement list specifically, is quickly coming to its expiration date.

   McKENNA SAYS KEEP EMINENT DOMAIN
   In addition, since the opening defense statement, we heard in one of the workshops from the TIF consultant, Kane Mckenna, that they do not recommend the prohibition of eminent domain for a tif. It offers robustness and flexibility. We have since found out that this and other pronouncements by the TIF consultant was very expensive to the Village. So it is very reasonable to take what they say seriously.

   TJMAX SAYS IT WILL USE EMINENT DOMAIN
   Finally, since the opening statement, there was a plan floated in one of the workshops that admits explicitly that it depends on a TIF, the "Olmsted Common" plan. In this plan, the plan owner was quoted in the paper as saying that the threat of eminent domain would be used to displace private property owners. Why? Because it can.

   The Olmsted Common Plan is a productive proposal to look at in the assessment of the current cbd redevelopment initiative: it shows what is possible with the current TIF (as well as with the current B2 ordinances). It is a good 'straw man' to examine.

   NOT A PLOY; BY SMALL DEGREES DOES IT HAPPEN
   A justification of the concern for the trampling of such an important principle as freedom as well as protection of one's hard earned assets, is that this kind of thing does not just pop out out of nowhere, but it comes into being by small degrees. Thus the light needs to be shined on the processes before it and other noxious things come to fruition.

   Only two days ago did we see such a noxious small degree being attempted: during an admitted pause in the TIF, there was an attempt to allocate funds for the TIF beyond what was done already. I can assume that there will be more such attempts at small degrees.

   .

   the village said --

   REDEVELOPMENT —“ YES; HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT —“ NO
   There is NO Village policy that encourages high density development. Development in the Central Business District, with or without the TIF, is restricted by the Zoning Code that was adopted after many public meetings and public hearings. There are rules in place that limit height (3 stories or 45'), design materials, bulk, parking, etc.

   COMMENT:

   INFRASTUCTURE 'IMPROVEMENTS' IS FOR HIGH DENSITY
   I am still trying to get a clear answer on why residential properties are encircled in a TIF district whose goals are stated to be a CBD revitalization. It is reasonable to assume that the residential areas are intended to be re-done with high density buildouts. There was an infrastructure survey published since the Village defense statement that detailed infrastructure changes to support high density developments (see, eg, burke, july 2006).

   PARKING DECK IS HIGH DENSITY
   Further, there is something that IS specifically proposed in the TOD - which is the plan that the Village says in animating the TIF plan - a multistory parking deck located in a residential area. When there is no documented parking problem right now in that area, one can state very reasonably it is for new high density development. A multi story parking deck houses CARS. Increased cars is a symptom of increased density.

   Also, please see the Olmsted Common plan just referred to. This plan states that it is 100 pct B2 ordinance compliant, and this plan is a poster child of high density high bulk development.

   TIF SANS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN = HIGH DENSITY
   Finally, since the start of the publication of this initiative, it has been explicitly stated by the Village adminstration that the TIF is proactive or opportunistic. With this approach, high density development in the center of town is reasonable to expect, expecially since there is nothing prohibiting it, as well as seeing how this administration has handled other development projects; see, for example, the Village Crossing, where a 4th floor variance was granted.

   Posted Wednesday Mar 21, 2007 11:24 #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply

You must log in to post.