New development could be on the horizon in Morton Grove following the village board’s final approval of a mechanism aimed at revitalizing a neighborhood near the Metra train station.
The board on Oct. 25 unanimously approved the creation of a Tax Increment Financing district south of Lincoln Avenue and west of Lehigh Avenue. The vote follows more than a year of planning and, more recently, several public hearings.
Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski said a developer remains interested in redeveloping a vacant, village-owned lot at the southwest corner of Lehigh and Chestnut, next to the Morton Grove Moose Family Center, with a three-story building mixing residential and commercial uses.
The plans, which have yet to go before the village’s plan commission, call for 24 apartments above first-floor restaurants and service businesses, Czerwinski said. At this time, the proposal would close Chestnut to vehicular traffic for the construction of an outdoor plaza that can be used for dining, with a new entrance to the site created south of the properties, Czerwinski explained.
At Lehigh and Main Street, the site of a vacant industrial building on multiple acres of land, the village has received tentative proposals for several different developments, including townhouses, apartment buildings, offices, and a senior living facility, the village administrator said.
The creation of the TIF district is a mechanism to attract redevelopment, but does not guarantee it. Anything submitted to the village will go through reviews and approvals from boards and commissions, Czerwinski said.
“It really is a situation where, now that we’ve opened a financial plan, developers can come in and speak to what can be developed on the site,” Czerwinski told the village board on Oct. 25, noting that the approval of the TIF is “not the end” of the process.
“Everything that develops on this site will need to go through the standard procedural control: Open meetings (and the) traffic safety, appearance, zoning and planning (commissions),” he said. “It has to go through every step with probably more due diligence than a normal construction.”
Currently, there are 22 existing residential units within the proposed TIF, but there are no plans to displace any residents, documents shared with village board in September said.
A TIF district freezes the assessed value of properties within the district at the time it is created. As new development occurs and new and higher assessed property is added to the tax rolls, the additional property tax that is generated is set aside for improvements within the district, like new infrastructure or financial assistance to developers.
The TIF district does not create a new tax for property owners, TIF Consultant Bob Rychlicki said during a September public hearing on the plan.
The new TIF is roughly situated between Lehigh Avenue on the east and the forest preserve on the west, and between Chestnut Street on the north and Madison Court on the south, according to the village.
Czerwinski said the TIF has been discussed with the village’s other taxing bodies, including school districts, and all have been supportive.
“At this point, everybody said yes,” he said.
“This is an important project to move forward in Morton Grove, especially by the train station,” said Trustee Bill Grear.
The train station itself could also undergo changes, with redevelopment of the station under consideration, Czerwinski said.
“We went out for proposals for architects,” he explained. “We are in discussions with Metra about what can be placed on that site to replace the (current) station. We would look to put something more attractive, a little more functional.”
The new station, if built, would be on the same site, Czerwinski said.
The village used the creation of TIF districts to encourage and assist development east of the Metra station and in the area of Dempster Street and Waukegan Road, where Sawmill Station, a commercial and residential development, was created.
A TIF district is typically in place for 23 years. Any expenses from the TIF fund must be approved by the Village Board.
![Terry Horton appeared in court briefly in a jail jumpsuit Wednesday where he got time served in a plea deal in connection with a Gary gas station shooting. He faced up to three years. Both Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Dafoe and defense lawyer Gojko Kasich agreed Horton had nearly 500 days of jail credit, enough to close the case. Do you understand what’s going on, Judge Samuel Cappas asked. “Yes, your honor,” Horton replied. Horton, now 26, signed a plea agreement in December 2020 to assisting a criminal, a level 5 felony. His co-defendant and half-brother Aaron Sawyer, the shooter, got […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Post-Tribune.jpg?w=620 "Terry Horton appeared in court briefly in a jail jumpsuit Wednesday where he got time served in a plea deal in connection with a Gary gas station shooting. He faced up to three years. Both Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Dafoe and defense lawyer Gojko Kasich agreed Horton had nearly 500 days of jail credit, enough to close the case. Do you understand what’s going on, Judge Samuel Cappas asked. “Yes, your honor,” Horton replied. Horton, now 26, signed a plea agreement in December 2020 to assisting a criminal, a level 5 felony. His co-defendant and half-brother Aaron Sawyer, the shooter, got […]")