You're all invited to Hoffman Plaza

It's been years in the making, but business owners and village officials plan to celebrate the rebirth of Hoffman Plaza on Friday, Oct. 31.

Over the last three years, officials were mired in a lawsuit over the validity of a TIF district at Golf, Roselle and Higgins roads. The dispute centered on a typical TIF drama, apparently unfounded concerns by business owners that the village was using the TIF to try to oust them.

Late last year, the village and business owners came to an agreement, and work began on improvements. One of the larger tenants, Jewel-Osco, has undergone a $6 million renovation, about $2 million of which came from the TIF.

Approximately another $2 million in improvements to lighting, parking lots, facades, signage and landscaping are being made to the rest of the TIF area. It contains more than 55 stores, including Golf Center, Valli Produce and Ultimate Exposure Plaza.

About $675,000 of the cost of those upgrades is from TIF funds.

To encourage shoppers to see the renovations, the plaza will have trick-or-treating for kids, entertainment and prize giveaways on Halloween. Plaza officials also plan on more events on the following two weekends.

The TIF was established in 2003, and such districts typically last more than 20 years.

Don't hesitate in calling FEMA: Dave Christensen pleaded, so I guess I'll help out, even though he's a Green Bay Packers fan.

Christensen, the village's emergency management coordinator, said Monday night that he's heard from a couple of confused residents who suffered property damage from last month's storms. They don't know how to get aid.

He said they should call FEMA at (800) 621-3362. Though village officials can offer guidance to residents, those needing money from low-interest loans or grants need to contact federal officials. Village officials can't offer them money.

The public cost of the storms to the village alone was about $500,000, officials said, not including damage to private property. That's a drop in the bucket compared to heavily affected areas like Des Plaines, but tell that to the residents living in the six homes that were heavily damaged. Don't forget to also check out fema.gov.

• Do you have a Hoffman Estates story idea? Contact Ashok Selvam at (847) 427-4475 or aselvam@dailyherald.com.