Des Plaines officials said they won’t release until spring their goals for redeveloping an area known as Five Corners, north of the suburb’s downtown.
But residents of a close-knit mobile home community, many retired and living on Social Security, expressed concern Tuesday that city plans to include them in a 96-acre special taxing district eventually could force them to move.
At an informational meeting Monday night, officials said the boundaries of the proposed tax increment financing district, though not yet defined, are expected to include a wide area around the intersection of Lee Street and Rand and Des Plaines River Roads.
The zone would include 100 businesses and 300 homes, about half of them in the Rand Road Mobile Home Community.
Terry Nelson, a 33-year resident of the mobile home park, said she was chilled to hear talk that the mobile home property could be attractive to commercial developers. On Tuesday, she said she was considering circulating petitions that would ask aldermen to keep the mobile homes out of the TIF district.
Though officials promised compensation to residents forced to move, Nelson said she worries about an 82-year-old neighbor with health problems and a Social Security check that covers his $480-a-month rent, utilities, necessities and little else.
“He tells me he’d never want to move, and if he did, even with financial assistance, who would take care of him?” said Nelson, who added that she and other neighbors look in on him.
Dave Niemeyer, Des Plaines’ city manager, said the suburb hopes to release a redevelopment plan next spring that will provide specific goals for the TIF. But in general, he said, the city thinks that the property along main roads is best suited for larger retail projects.
It probably would take several years to redevelop property within the TIF, and because the district would be large, it is unlikely the city would attract one developer with a plan for the entire area.
TIF designations allow cities and villages to sell bonds to fund infrastructure improvements in underdeveloped areas. As properties are redeveloped, they usually generate higher property-tax revenue, which are used to pay off the bonds. The property taxes paid to other government bodies, such as school districts, are frozen during the duration of the district.
The TIF zone would not be voted on by the City Council until at least late April, Niemeyer said. Some areas could be removed from the TIF, he said.
“We’re trying to make sure residents are informed early on,” he said. “This may take years or decades” as the TIF grows and developers submit proposals.
Because Des Plaines is mostly developed, a TIF zone is critical if the city wants to attract larger stores and bring in more revenue, Niemeyer said. He said the southern part of the TIF could be used for mid-level retail stores and some office and residential projects.
Nelson said about 270 residents live in the mobile home community’s 140 units.
During the informational meeting, consultant Robert Rychlicki of Chicago-based Kane, McKenna & Associates said federal regulations require that fair compensation be paid to property owners and renters if their property is acquired for redevelopment.
Mobile home residents could receive compensation both as renters and as property owners if they owned their mobile homes, he said.
Managers of the mobile home park have assured residents they don’t want to sell, Nelson said, but the owners could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
“It’s not just the expense, because we’re a community with gardens and neighbors we love,” Nelson said.
Lee Diamond, 85, who shares a summer vegetable garden with Nelson, said he hoped his future won’t be in doubt for an extended period.
He said he works 30 hours a week at a Skokie home improvement store, and without that income, his Social Security would barely cover his rent, utilities, food and medical expenses.
He said he doesn’t remember receiving a letter from the city telling residents about Monday’s meeting but now will pay closer attention.
“I will start paying attention if this is going to affect where and how I’m living,” he said.
———-
imshuman@aol.com
