Homewood trustees will consider an incentive package at their regular meeting Tuesday that would enable Burlington to develop a department store at 17825 Halsted Street, formerly occupied by Office Max.
The property is not in a tax increment finance district (TIF), so the village would offer a combination of sales tax sharing and Cook County Class 8 property tax reductions to help make the project viable.
The property is owned by DIKA Homewood LLC.
The deal would provide Class 8 property tax reductions for three other properties also owned by DIKA Homewood in the same retail center, including 17715 Halsted, occupied by Smoothie King; 17729 Halsted, currently vacant; and 17805 Halsted, currently occupied by UChicago Medicine. Each qualifies for the Class 8 program on its own.
Grant for planning
Homewood has received a Regional Transportation Authority grant to enable community-based, transportation-oriented development planning. The board will be asked to enter into a technical assistance agreement with RTA.
The $130,000 grant requires a 15% match from the village. It will pay for a consultant, and the project will include a steering committee and opportunities for community involvement in the planning process.
Budget discussion
The board will hear a presentation from the finance department on the draft 2022-2023 budget.
The budget estimates a 4% increase in general fund expenses and a 5% increase in revenues, allowing the village to add more than $76,000 to reserves.
In other business, the board will consider:
- A request for a special use permit by Wind Creek Casino to expand the parking garage element of its Homewood/East Hazel Crest casino.
- A request for a lot size variance at 2044 183rd Street that would allow the property owner to build a home there.
- A request from Glenwood Academy to expand the scope of its Queen of Hearts raffle, extending the ticket sales time frame from a maximum of 90 days to one year and increasing the prize cap from $5,000 to up to $2 million.
- A request for a resolution in support of Chick Fil A’s request for a Class 8 property tax reduction at 17450 Halsted Street.
- A budget amendment of $33,000 to pay for emergency sanitary sewer repair on Perth Avenue.
The meeting will start at 7 p.m. in the village hall board room, 2020 Chestnut Road.
The meeting also can be attended remotely by visiting https://zoom.us. Select: “join a meeting” from menu at top right of page. Use meeting ID 980 4907 6232 and password 830183. To listen to the meeting via phone, dial 312-626-6799 and login with the above ID and password followed by #.
In addition to public comment opportunities during the meeting, residents can send their views to [email protected] or by placing written comments in the drop box outside village hall. Any comments submitted before 4 p.m. on the meeting date will be distributed to all trustees prior to the meeting.