If you were to believe DevCorp North, everything is sweet as candy. The Special Service Area tax is working just fine. But walk the streets and you will see a different story. Look what happens to a candy store located a block away from a school. It didn't survive. It checked out.
Was it a poor business plan? Was it because of poor foot traffic? Was it because of poor promotion? Whatever it was, the store closed.
Of course I could put endless links to other businesses that haven't made it on Morse Avenue. Unless you run a dollar store, liquor joint, government handout agencies or a Open Air Drug Market, you might as well look elsewhere for work.
Apparently this suits Alderman Moore and DevCorp North fine. As long as the un-informed property owners keep flipping the bill, DevCorp North and Alderman Moore are going to treat the business in this neighborhood as suckers. And not the type you find in a candy store like Sweet Occasions.
23 comments:
http://www.edgewater.org/cgi-shl/fpg.pl
Craigs good buddy Hugh has been blogging all over the Edgewater blog this week complaining about 1055 W. Bryn Mawr. He thinks selling a building that was a rat trap ready to collapse to a developer was a bad deal for us!
Well the new tenant on the corner of Winthrop and Byrn Mawr is the Little Mexican Cafe.
What a surprise, you're anti-development and what do you get... no development.
A TIF would be one of the worst possibilities. It shifts all tax burdens to the surrounding residents while the business pays nothing.
"Creepy businesses" -- words of an attendee at the Morse streetscaping meeting last Fall. No one at the meeting objected to the description. Sad to see a biz that I frequented close shop but the reality is that opening a biz in RP is tough an no TIF or pretty street signs and planters will change that (all those activities will do is suck taxpayer $ to enrich those who are already rich). The only thing that will clean up Morse is surrounding residences being cleaned up, intense police activity to get rid of dealers/users, etc., and potentially change of ownership of buildings on Morse (we'd like landlords who try to rent their spaces to legit, capitalized businesses). Oh, and businesses that are willing to stick it out. Sweet shop was nice but they sure had funky hours.
Craig's view of Morse is closer to reality than Westie's view. In fact, Morse has actually gotten WORSE in the 15 yrs. I've lived here. Used to have a hardware, natural food shop, grocery store, diner. All gone and not much new except for mortgage financing, fragerance shop, and, oh yeah, dollar store. And, Morseland. Kudos to them for sticking it out (irrespective of Craig's criticisms).
Jim posted...
> When Joe Moore held meetings to guage community in a TIF for Morse Ave. about 5 years ago, essentially no one turned out in favor of it and the goofballs from RPCAN were all over the place waving banners and singing protest songs all about "we don't want TIFs". To this day, they tout blocking this as a "success".
Interesting take on process in the 49th: Moore holds community meetings, and if no one turns out in favor of a proposal, it does not advance. That is not my experience. Moore himself wrote (October 27, 2005):
"Unanimous consent for any proposed project is very rare in our diverse community, and this project is no exception. Ultimately, it is up to me as the elected representative of the people, to make the tough call."
Wow, I didn't know RPCAN was such a powerful force, they can block Alderman Moore! (Sure you don't want to be careful not to give RPCAN too much credit?)
Interesting interpretation of recent history: RPCAN is why Morse looks like Morse! Almost as if Moore has not been Alderman for 15 years. I can't blame you for trying to put some distance between the Alderman's office and Morse Ave. I'd try to blame someone else, too. Let's blame RPCAN, sure, why not. I doubt Moore will be holding many campaign rallies on Morse.
Oh, Anne, you've stepped in it now. Joe and his friends are going to have to loudy deny that they were ever approached by Whole Foods. And since there is no paper trail indicating such, it's his word against those who claim otherwise. I came in for a stinging rebuke when I made similar claim a couple of years ago. So, let's give that Joe was not approached by WF, that it just never happened. How come our alderman only brings us dollar stores but Maryann brings her ward a Trader Joe's and all we get is a lousy dollar store?
Jim -- You call Gateway a success? A strip mall off the beaten track that sits mostly empty is a success and we should be thrilled that our tax dollars financed it? Interesting. My sense of Gateway is that a developer made money off the backs of average taxpayers, the less advantaged got an inconveniently located grocery store, and Chicago loses sales tax revenue to Evanston. Oh, and the Alderman gets to brag that he brought business and jobs to RP. Nevermind that there were jobs at the Jewel on Morse, the Foodstuffs on Morse, the hardware on Morse, the diner on Morse, Affy Tpple on Clark. Have I missed any? Oh, yes, and Grandpa's is now a halfway house.
Anne posted ...
> Jewel's policy of "site sanitation"
Jewel went beyond boarding up the property and used legal tricks to prevent a competitor from moving into a neighborhood they abandoned. Jewel had their lawyers place a "restrictive covenant" on the site to prop up business at their new Evanston-TIF built home at Howard and Kedzie. For more information, please see "Slash & burn in Rogers Park."
Jim McKee posted (February 27, 2006) tear-downs are all Paul Wigoda's fault:
"Because the ... then Daley machine-dominated 49th ward organization sold out our neighborhood in the 1960's (literally: the Alderman Paul Wigoda went to jail for zoning offenses) and upzoned to R4 which allowed all the Sheridan Rd. stately homes to come down for nursing homes and 4+1's and HUNDREDS of single family homes throughout the ward to come down for the ugly 60's crackerbox apt. buildings to go up. Joe Moore inhereted this mess [15 years ago]."
Jim McKee posted (May 12, 2006) Morse Ave is RPCAN's fault:
"When Joe Moore held meetings to guage community in a TIF for Morse Ave. about 5 years ago, essentially no one turned out in favor of it and the goofballs from RPCAN were all over the place waving banners and singing protest songs all about "we don't want TIFs". To this day, they tout blocking this as a "success". Well fine, now look what we have -- thank you very much."
Jim, has Alderman Moore appointed you his Online Director of Finger Pointing? Are you his Official Commissioner on Teflon? Are you his personal can of non-stick cooking spray? Spry New Miracle McKee liberally on any issue, IT WON'T STICK! Guaranteed or your money back.
> But despite years of unsuccessfully trying to unload it for a song, Old Mr. Pivot Point (owner Leo Passage) suddenly rejected all of the very fair offers the Gateway developers made. He then shamelessly used the poor RPCAN folks for fools who thought they were rallying to save a local business when really they were blindly obstructing the Gateway project and helping Mr. Pivot Point pocket more loot on his way out of town.
That darn RPCAN!
> ... very fair offers ...
Isn't it up to Mr. Passage, the legal owner of the property at the time, to decide what is a very fair offer?
> ... Passage suddenly rejected ...
Yeah, sure, after years Moore and his developer pals sicking the City's eminent domain lawyers against them, the beauty school "suddenly" left town.
Those darned Passages!
If anyone is interested in the FACTS of the Pivot Point building, please see "Pivot Point"
McKee posted for Ald. Moore:
> ... the Millenium Park TIF ...
There is no Millenium Park TIF.
Do you have any idea what you are posting about?
> I don't have an opinion on a TIF. I don't know enough about them
> I don't really know anything about tif's
Some online resources for learning more about TIFs (Tax Increment Financing).
1. Neighborhood Capital Budget Group (NCBG): TIFs
NCBG has a strong pro-TIF but it's still a good place to start.
2. The Right Tool for the Job? An analysis of Tax Increment Financing
3. TIF districts hinder growth
Study finds that cities without TIFs grow faster
Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois
Professor Richard F. Dye, Lake Forest College, Dept. of Economics and Business
Professor David Merriman, Loyola University, Graduate School of Business
McKee posted for Alderman Moore...
> Whole Foods? HA HA HA!!
> Trader Joes's and Whole Foods would never -- ever -- ever -- ever seriously consider locating on Morse Ave.
Ah, yes, the "our patheic neighborhood - be happy for what you get" argument, ever popular with apologists for the status quo.
McKee posted for Alderman Moore:
> This is exactly the type of blighted area for which the TIF concept was devised.
There is no "blight" on Chicago's north side. When you hear apologists for real estate developers talking about "blight," hold on to your wallet.
On Morse there IS a passle of the Alderman's developer pals, all playing chicken, in a staring contest with each other, seeing who will blink first, waiting, waiting, waiting, holding our neighborhood hostage, hoping if they hold out just a little longer, they can make $1.01 instead of $1.
TIF were devised as a last resort, for areas that will not develop otherwise.
Coe's Hole at Morse and Greenview
Jay Johnson's twin towers legacy project
Able's condos
Morseland
Pritzker's purchase of Cobbler's Mall
..all argue against a finding of "blight."
That Moore is re-floating the Morse TIF idea at this time through McKee merely reflects the fact that the Alderman's developer pals are lined up on Morse, the pigs are crowded at a trough as tightly packed as they can manage.
> The idea behind a TIF
The idea behind TIF is to redirect property taxes AWAY from schools, parks, hospitals, clinics, police, and fire departments and TO real estate developer pals.
The idea behind TIF is to allow the elected officials of a City government to act as a Property Tax Board of Appeals for the rich, corporate land owners and the real estate developers who sponsor their political campaigns, an institutionalized property-tax rebate for campaign contributions kick-back scheme.
The idea behind TIF is to press local property taxation policy into the service of protecting incumbency.
The idea behind TIF is to concentrate wealth, to help those who have get more, and to increase the economic disparity in our community.
No such thing as a Michigan Ave. TIF either
Right now Morse is an serious albatross. It's a clever idea for Moore to push for a TIF for Morse in his 15th year in office on the eve of a re-election campaign. If it goes through you guys have something to talk about, and if it doesn't go through, you guys can talk about RPCAN and anti-development community opposition.
Say, Jim, do you know what was the date that Moore was first sworn into office? As the official online spokesperson for his re-election campaign, can you please find out and get back to us? Thanks!
Jim, I've heard Moore is auctioning off to his corporate sponsors the naming rights for his middle name on his slot on the ballot, which will be read by hundreds of voters in Rogers Park, to raise money for his re-election campaign. I've heard he is considering:
Joe "S&C Electric" Moore
Joe "Camelot Realty" Moore
Joe "Castlebar" Moore
Can you confirm? Thanks!
So I take it from your comments Moore will not be seeking RPCAN's endorsement in his run for an historic 5th term?
Post a Comment