What the TIF district means for Long Grove
Two major projects that Long Grove village officials said go hand in hand were approved by the village board this week.
The village has been working on both the creation of a tax increment financing district for the downtown and Route 83 and the Sunset Grove shopping area project for years.
The effort culminated with a unanimous affirmative vote Tuesday.
"We had been working on this for such a long time," Village President Maria Rodriguez said. "It's the highest and best use for that property and it was very carefully put together. (Sunset Grove) is the economic engine that drives the downtown renovation."
However, while the five trustees present at the meeting are all on board, some residents are less than happy with what they see as a rubber-stamped undertaking.
"It underscores the fact that they really are not concerned about the opinions of the residents," said Haig Bedrosian, a neighbor of the Sunset Grove development and one of 300 residents seeking a referendum vote on the TIF issue.
A TIF district freezes property taxes from the current assessments in the district and then puts taxes from assessment increases that would normally have gone to taxing bodies such as the school and park districts in a fund for 23 years that will go back into improving the area.
The board has been looking at creating a TIF district since at least 2006 as a way to improve the beleaguered downtown and spur development along Route 83.
That's where the Sunset Grove project came into play. The village had been courting the high-end grocery store Sunset Foods for Route 83 as a way to bring in more tax dollars and serve as a gateway to the nearby downtown.
The development will also bring in that incremental increase to the TIF area tax assessments that will help fund downtown improvements, the board has said.
Rodriguez said she ran for office based on the idea of upgrading downtown and bringing useful shops to residents. Besides the grocery store, Sunset Grove tentatively includes a Starbucks, dry cleaner and restaurant.
"Sunset Foods is just a great fit in our community," Rodriguez said. "We do feel that this is what the residents have been wanting."
Bedrosian disagreed.
Tuesday's vote "was the day Long Grove brought strip malls into its community," he said. "That is something we are very much opposed to having in Long Grove."
Bedrosian said he still wants the referendum on the November ballot to gauge what Long Grove residents want. Unless the village puts up an objection to the petition, it will appear.
Bedrosian said if residents show they were against a TIF district, he and others will have to see what recourse they have.
Rodriguez said the board couldn't wait because it was obligated by state law to vote on creation of the TIF district within 90 days of a public hearing.
"We do believe we have done the due diligence here," she said.
Gerald Ostick, who also lives near the TIF district, said he's also keeping an eye on what the village plans to do along Route 83.
While not necessarily opposed to Sunset Grove, he doesn't want the village to do anything that will decrease his property value.
"Long Grove has prided itself on being a rural area," he said. "Whether (Sunset Grove) deflects from the village or helps it I really don't know. Only time will tell."