Hubble site could be added to special tax area

Fearful that future tenants at the former Hubble Middle School site could gain a property tax advantage over shops and restaurants in downtown Wheaton, one business group is urging city council members to level the playing field.

However, officials say they don't want to jeopardize the redevelopment of the 22-acre parcel near the intersection of Roosevelt and Naperville roads.

So council members are expected to vote on a nonbinding resolution that will ask future boards to consider adding the property to a special service area in downtown.

Originally, the Downtown Wheaton Association sought to have both the Hubble property and nearby Central Park added to the special service area, which is the group's main source of revenue.

Property owners within the district pay a yearly fee to raise money for the association, which promotes downtown businesses. The district's boundaries are roughly bordered by Illinois, West and Wesley streets and Naperville Road.

Councilman Liz Corry said she's concerned excluding the Hubble development from the special service area might end up "cannibalizing" the downtown.

"As a business owner, if I was voluntarily paying into the SSA, I would be livid that new construction could be a block away from me taking my renters and my potential tenants away."

However, there is a concern that adding Hubble to the district now could have a negative affect on the marketability of the property.

"We've got issues with flooding," Councilman Phil Suess said of the site. "We've got issues with asbestos. We've got issues with the current economic environment. Why are we going to add another possibility to this?"

At the same time, several council members said they don't want the yearly fee imposed on residential homes. And it could be years before it's determined how much commercial, residential and office space the Hubble site will have.

Therefore, Wheaton isn't likely to add the property to the special service area until those questions are answered.

"Unless you know the exact specifics, there's nothing we can do about it now," Councilman Howard Levine said.

In the meantime, the city is considering a plan to extend the special service area for 20 more years. A public hearing on the idea is July 27.