From Lake Effect News:"Mercy Housing Lakefront, the Chicago affiliate of a national organization that develops and manages housing for low-income seniors, families and individuals with special needs, has acquired the 16-story HUD building at 850 W. Eastwood Ave. in Uptown. ... The Chicago Community Development Commission granted Mercy authority to become the “developer” of the 850 building and approved $3 million in funds from the Wilson Yard TIF to be spent on the rehab." Read the rest of the story here at LEN.
This is on top of several other non-profit housing ventures (900 W Windsor, 4431 N Clifton, and 927 W Wilson) receiving millions in TIF money, not to mention the 178 units of new low-income housing in Wilson Yard itself.
Ald. Shiller says that "I am confident this [Wilson Yard TIF] development will spur future commercial and retail development in the Uptown area of the ward." Frankly, we don't see how giving millions and millions of dollars to non-profit housing developers fits in with this stated goal.
What doesn't Shiller understand about the Wilson Yard TIF being for the Wilson Yard development. Funding for other developments should be considered SEPARATELY! She's doling out as much of our tax dollars as she can before she's booted out of office!!!
ReplyDeleteBye bye rehab of the Wilson L.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall the reason for the granting of the TIF was for the rehab of this building. This is just another reason why there needs to be more monitoring of TIFS.
I guess I missed the community meeting where she clearly documented all the public research and input that went into this careful decision and how it was going to reduce crime in the ward. But with millions in TIF money to throw around no wonder she has not spent any of her menu money for last year.
ReplyDeleteShe's confident, huh?
ReplyDeleteSo, the cul-de-sac on Eastwood, bordered by Uplift and Weis, is going to be a hot bed of commercial or retail development?
Maybe the vacant lot on the corner of Clarendon/Eastwood will miraculously explode into a Whole Foods, or, if we're lucky, a nail salon or wig shop.
Y'know? I may actually be willing to stomach the use of TIF money for subsidized housing, if she'd ease up on the bullsh1t just a little bit.
And in essence, Shiller just bought herself a high-rise full of votes, using tax payer funds. Same as she ever was...
ReplyDeleteI would sell my condo to her for low income housing cheaper than WY wonder if she would be interested?
ReplyDelete“No residents will be displaced because of the purchase,” Kuklinski said. “This is something different for Uptown not to displace residents or make rents unaffordable.”
ReplyDeleteI found this quote to be interesting. Sounds a lot like something that might come out of the 46th ward office. Funny how people who sound like Helen get millions of dollars of tax payer money. But many taxpayers who sound a little different from her, don't even get the respect of direct communication on how their tax dollars are going to be spent.
Ald. Shiller:
ReplyDeleteI am an "evil condo owner" who opposes almost everything you do, especially the way you spend my tax dollars. I know that you don't like people like me living in YOUR ward, so I have a proposal to make you. I propose that you buy my 1 bedroom, 1 bath, plus den condo with all the bells and whistles from me with WY TIF money and turn in into section 8 subsidized housing. I will sell it to you for much less than what the units are being built for at the Wilson Yard Development. It can be yours for $300,000 and I promise to move out of Uptown and never return. Deal?
Sincerely,
An "Evil" Condo Owner
PS: I am sure many other condo owners would be willing to do the same so that you can turn everything in Uptown into subsidized housing.
Really more inventory is just bad for all the evil condo owners when people lost so much money because of what they paid and what they are worth.
ReplyDeleteSomeone tell Helen that the only way for her to get more shady TIF money is for more taxpayers to move into the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteSeems like great material for anyone running against her in the next election.
ReplyDeleteJust sayin.
I am really starting to wonder whether Shiller intends to run again.
ReplyDeleteShe only took in about $15,000 in her campaign fund the last half of last year.
Time will tell.
I hope she runs.
Here those steps behind you, Helen?
It's De Feet!
Pirate-
ReplyDeleteWas thinking the same thing today as I walked past Mariville. I thought "Can she really be this stupid?"
She barely won last election. Since then, her base has shrunk and people have become extremely angry. Maybe she knows she is cooked and has decided to spend as much as possible before the term is up. One last self patronizing ball of incompetence.
Funny about thing about this building: this is one of the several buildings for which building code violations submitted to the 311 system repeatedly are cleared by our area's Building Department inspector - even though the violations are never corrected.
ReplyDelete311 Complaint # 196029 re:
Failure to post name, address, and telephone of owner, owner's agent for managing, controlling or collecting rents, and any other person managing or controlling building conspicuously where accessible or visible to public way > 6 units in building. (13-12-030)
Submitted 6/6/09: Anonymous Tracking # 09-00979254
Status as 09/09/09: Completed per 07/29/09 inspection by Bldg. Dept
Actual status: Still no signage as of January 2010.