Truman College's TIF-funded parking garage/administrative building is now known as the "Larry McKeon Administrative Building." Groundbreaking for the structure will take place on August 19. The rendering above shows the view looking at the building from the west towards the L tracks.
Friday, August 8, 2008
'Larry McKeon Administrative Building' Groundbreaking Slated For August 19
Truman College's TIF-funded parking garage/administrative building is now known as the "Larry McKeon Administrative Building." Groundbreaking for the structure will take place on August 19. The rendering above shows the view looking at the building from the west towards the L tracks.
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Impressive speed with the groundbreaking. It will be great to see new development on this scale in the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteHaving affordable post-secondary education is a huge asset to the neighborhood, and I'm glad to see they're expanding Truman. Finally, TIF money spent the way it was supposed to be...:) Imagine, tax payer programs geared towards helping people better their lives and improve their standard of living, rather than perpetuating their current lifestyle. Ironically, many of the guys I graduated from HS with were making more money after 2 years of tech school then I did after 8 years of college and grad school. Plus, they didn't have near the debt load. FYI, there is a huge need for American-born biostatisicians right now if anyone in high school likes math and wants to know what to do with it. Start thinking dollar signs with 6 zeros after it!
ReplyDelete50 million for this facility. Are you sure you really like this spending when there is already a parking facility with a round the "School Clock" shuttle only 2 miles east of Truman College?
ReplyDeleteBe up front about developments. If Uptown needs a parking facility lets build a parking facility.
What if we examined the costs of similar facilities built in other parts of the city? What if we expanded that search to include close suburbs? Are we getting the most bang for the buck?
TIF money spent the way it was supposed to be...:)
ReplyDeleteCan you explain how this TIF money is fixing a blighted area? TIF money is not supposed to be a giant slush fund for Alderman.
The actual usefulness of a parking garage is completely pointless. The area was not blighted and there is no reason to believe that a parking garage is going to cause an increase in tax revenue. Hence, this is complete and utter TIF abuse, which is rampant in this city.
This project is an absolute travesty as it takes money away from schools. Remember that allenpg, as talk about how great Truman is, because some kids on the South or West side are going to be deprived funding to build this thing.
Well at least a parking facility isn't going to bring in more gangs and drugs and drive down the quality of life for everyone in Uptown like WILSON YARD. Although I am curiuos as to if this is another HOLSTEN,Inc. project and if so how much is he gouging us on this one?
ReplyDeleteSounds like besides a parking lot, they'll also be building a student services center and place for admin offices, to free up space in the main building for classes:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ccc.edu/aboutccc/072808.shtml
http://www.trumancollege.cc/bulletin/
http://www.trumancollege.cc/visitors/maps.php (w/ short video)
Not blight in the classic sense, but this would seem to benefit those who live near Clifton and Racine near those very run down empty lots/tennis courts.
Not blight in the classic sense, but this would seem to benefit those who live near Clifton and Racine near those very run down empty lots/tennis courts.
ReplyDeleteWell then what definition of blight are you using beside the "classic" one?
And not that it matters, but how does a parking garage next to your house make you better off?
And, thats not the freaking point of the TIF. The idea, and a fallacy at that, is that there are these magic areas in the city where investment would be a great idea, only people won't do it because for some reason they don't see how they can make money. Take the Wilson Yard idea. Target could make a huge return on its investment there, because, wel, its apparently too stupid to figure it out, but if we give them some public money they'll do it. Then the area will get nicer around the Target, and the increased tax base will cover the investment.
How does that apply here? Explain to me how this parking garage is going to revitalize the area around Truman enough to increase the tax base such that this TIF pays for itself. It won't, and as such, we the taxpayers are going to go ahead and pickup the tab on this one down the road. So you and I are building a parking garage. Is that really the best use of public dollars? At a time when the city is hiking sales taxes through the roof and trying to reduce its carbon footprint, does it really make sense to spend public dollars on a parking garage?
I cannot honestly believe people are defending this as a good thing.
I've said it before I truly think the parking garage and the swiftness in which you see it "appearing" on the radar has more to do with the needs of the Uptown Theater than the college.
ReplyDeleteThat being said the college does need parking. This garage potentially will be utilized by 4 groups. Truman folks, CTA riders, Uptown Theater patrons, and Cubs fans.
I think ultimately it might be a good thing. Of course I think Angelina Jolie should never have left me for Brad Pitt so perhaps I'm "funny in the head".
We are losing the forest for the trees. OK, I agree the garage may not be a poster child for appropriate TIFF funding but it can be argued this argument is premature. IrishPirate named a few uses that can generate revenue for the college and/or (dare I say) the community. I don't think it's appropriate to say this is a BAD idea for local residents. After all it is an improvement for the College and not crack dealers (as WY may become). A facility such as this can be used for a bunch of good, that outcome doesn't depend on citizens as much as the College.
ReplyDeleteAre we going to war against all TIFF projects or just the poorly planned projects? I mean, we live in CHICAGO!!! This city has an international image of political corruption and back door government. The TIFF program was bound to be affected by this. I think we should keep the focus on the REAL ISSUES and not dilute our efforts by discrediting all TIFF programs in the neighborhood. Lets fight for a community approved WY plan and forget the garage project's shortcomings.
Are we going to war against all TIFF projects or just the poorly planned projects? I mean, we live in CHICAGO!!!
ReplyDeleteUmmm, no. Nobody has the time to do that. But that doesn't mean we have to say something is a good idea when it isn't. allenpg put a freaking smiley emoticon in his post about this.
And what exactly did IrishPirate mention as a benefit to the community? To quote him
This garage potentially will be utilized by 4 groups. Truman folks, CTA riders, Uptown Theater patrons, and Cubs fans.
Lets look at them.
First, the Truman folks. Well that doesn't benfit the neighborhood since anyone who is driving to Truman doesn't live here. This just adds to the already congested streets.
Second, the CTA riders. Same argument as before, anyone driving to the park and ride doesn't live here, and isn't going to contribute anything to the community.
Third, Uptown Theatre Patrons. Call me in five years when there is an Uptown Theatre. This is pure speculation.
Fourth, Cubs Fans. Conceivably, Cubs fans will start walking for the Park and Ride down to the game, which will create some foot traffic. Trouble is, they're not actually going to walk by any Uptown establishments on their way there. At best, they'll walk by the Driftwood on their way down Kenmore. Again, this just leads to some more traffic in an already congested area.
So in the end, the net benefit to the community is some more traffic. Not really sure what good this does us.
Again, I'm not saying this is where we should focus our efforts, as WY is 100x worse, but this is TIF abuse all the same.
The four scenarios described by 'pirate do not encompass all the possible uses for the garage. Uptown theater isn't the only entertainment venue in the area. The garage allows for more residents to use existing street parking. Night time events at the college and surrounding areas will be better facilitated.
ReplyDeleteWhat you're really overlooking is that any potential new foot traffic has better revenue potential than the loiterers which comprise the majority of local foot traffic now. Especially if that foot traffic originated from an automobile, maybe they're more likely to have money to spend.
How can you say 'the already congested streets' or 'some more traffic in an already congested area'? how is Uptown congested!? I would say Uptown at night more resembles the Loop at 2:00 am on a Tuesday morning than any 'congested streets.'
OK, so how many of you who are raving about a lovely parking structure actually live within 100 feet of it? If you don't, would YOU like to be living next to a parking deck that towers over the three-story building you call home? And how many of you actually believe that a multi-story building that will be used mostly during the day and early evening to mostly store cars...and which will wrap around an area that is already isolated from street traffic so it invites gangbangers, drug dealers, loiterers, drunks, crazies, and hookers...will somehow NOT be even MORE inviting for the same crowd? It's going to turn into another crime hotspot worse than it already is, worse than the area around the U-Haul on Broadway.
ReplyDeleteTo argue whether it is a well-deserved use of TIF funds is fine and to argue whether it is really a good idea to let an alderman be able to use a TIF at their discretion is quite worthwhile -- but I think there should be a few further facts thrown into this discussion.
ReplyDelete1. Purpose of a TIF is defined as more than treating "blight" and can include infrastructure improvements and public improvements for things like schools. Per the UCC website (http://www.uptownchicagocommission.org/tifs.htm):
--
Which costs are eligible for TIF funding? TIF funds may be used for:
* Property acquisition and costs to prepare it for redevelopment, including environmental cleanup and building demolition
* Infrastructure improvements, such as streets, bridges and viaducts
* Other public improvements, including improvements to schools, parks and other public buildings
* Renovation projects
* Job training
* Day care
* Studies, surveys and plans
* Professional services, such as architectural, engineering and legal
TIF funds cannot be used for "bricks and mortar" costs of construction, except in the case of affordable housing.
--
This parking structure would fit into "public improvements" (at least as defined by the alderman and school officials). Maybe there is a "spirit" of the purpose of the TIF that is not being followed here though, if the spirit is to create a tangible ROI from the use of funds.
2. This parking garage is part of the Wilson Yard TIF, not separate from it. If you look at a map of the TIF area, Truman is squarely part of it. A map can be found on the last page of this Wilson Yard Annual Report:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/4064751/Wilson-Yard-TIF-Annual-Report-2003
3. Per the Graceland-Wilson Neighbors Association (http://gwna.org/2008/01/25/truman-college-expansion/), the $55 million will come from the following sources:
* $30 million City Colleges
* $15 million State of Illinois
* $10 million Wilson Yard TIF fund
4. The 2005 Wilson Yard Redevelopment did include a parking structure for 700 spaces (http://www.scribd.com/doc/4063106/Wilson-Yard-Redevelopment-Agreement-November-2005); though it is difficult to tell if this is what was envisioned by parking. My hunch is that it was not -- that there would be 700 spaces for the Target and Movie Theatres. However, I could not seem to find any more recent documents online.
>> Well then what definition of blight are you using beside the "classic" one?
I was taking your definition as the "classic" one: "The area was not blighted and there is no reason to believe that a parking garage is going to cause an increase in tax revenue" -- meaning that the fixing of blight would eventually increase tax revenue. A more expanded scope of "blight" may also mean the wretched hive of scum and villany over by those run-down tennis courts cum parking lots (and the Wilson Yard area as a whole).
>> And not that it matters, but how does a parking garage next to your house make you better off?
What makes it better off is that, in theory at least, the area gets cleaned up and there are a lot more students, teachers, etc walking around that area. Hence, it is no longer a deserted wasteland where the riff-raff can hang out unabashed. Therefore, your property value may increase since you aren't living next to this blight. This is just a theory -- we would need to see what it looks like when it gets finished and if it really is better for the community. If you have a student services center over there, you are going to get a lot more benign pedestrian traffic in that part of the college than you do now and, per our various policing meetings over the past few weeks -- benign community traffic is a good thing.
All that said, the argument of whether this is a worthy use of TIF funds is a completely valid question and definitely worth discussing. I believe that it will produce incremental improvment in that area that will benefit the community and the public -- however, it surely may not provide $10 million worth of improvement.
I doubt Truman will allow their new $50M facility to be overcome with homeless and derelict. And I especially doubt our proactive neighbors will sit back and watch this happen.
ReplyDeletePut into perspective, a brand new, 27 story high rise with ground floor commercial, 4 levels of parking and 19 floors of high end residential (198 rental units just north of the loop) is being build for approx $54M.... that's a fact, jack.
How can you say 'the already congested streets' or 'some more traffic in an already congested area'? how is Uptown congested!? I would say Uptown at night more resembles the Loop at 2:00 am on a Tuesday morning than any 'congested streets.'
ReplyDeleteWere you part of the Wilson Yard traffic study? Who compares traffic at 2am? If we do that, then Chicago has no traffic issues, and any money spent on public transportation is a waste.
Oh, wait, most people don't drive at 2AM, silly me. I was thinking about the traffic when people are actually DRIVING THEIR CARS.
Have you tried to get down Montrose or Wilson on a summer afternoon? You don't think this is going to help snarl up both those streets? Admittedly, I have no real proof of this, but I suspect more cars aren't going to make things better.
And after looking at the UCC page, it basically looks like TIFs can be used for whatever the city government wants. Its just a slick way to steal money from the taxpayers now, then cry oh poor us, we have no money for our hospitals later and have to raise your taxes. If you ask me, there is a giant hot ass room in hell waiting for every Chicago politician. Well, everyone except James.
you didn't understand my analogy.
ReplyDelete