The movies may be coming to Flossmoor.
The Village Board approved an agreement last month with the production company Only Believe Entertainment to develop abandoned village-owned land into a studio and production space.
Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson said the project will benefit the town by drawing in production crews and revenue for every new project.
“Each one of these films has their own crew, contractors and whatnot, and artists and actors, so it’ll bring in a fresh new crew to the village whenever there’s a production happening,” Nelson said.
Nelson said the passage of recent film tax credit legislation on the state level made it attractive for Only Believe Entertainment, which is based in Indiana, to relocate to Illinois.
“The film industry in Illinois has been booming, and we’re leading the United States in terms of friendliness to films,” Nelson said. “We’re becoming quite the Mecca.”
The development is planned for two village-owned parcels on the 3600 block of 198th Street in Flossmoor. The agreement was approved unanimously Jan. 20.
The first phase of the planned development will consist of three buildings: an administration and production building, a soundstage and a prop house, as well as internal roadways, according to the agreement.
The project is also planned to include a space for viewing films that will be able to host special events, Nelson said.
Only Believe Entertainment has until Sept. 30, 2027, to complete construction, according to the agreement.
Nelson said there is not a firm timeline for construction in place yet, but that things were coming together quickly.
“I saw it as a win-win, for both him in terms of growth and also for the village of Flossmoor,” Nelson said. “It just seemed like a natural partnership.”
Part of the agreement entails the developer applying for Class 8 tax relief with Cook County, which will reduce the tax rates on the property for 12 years, though the developer also agreed to reimburse the village for its portion of the reduced taxes.
There are multiple reasons Flossmoor is well-suited for film productions, Nelson said.
“We have a lot of folks who are in the production space already, from filming to acting to voiceover,” Nelson said. “There’s a lot of home-grown talent here that I think will end up operating out of that studio.”
In April of last year, Flossmoor passed an ordinance to create an approval procedure for productions that want to shoot in the village, following an influx of interest.
Under that ordinance, productions were required to apply in advance and pay a fee for a shooting permit. Residents living near the place of filming must be notified, and those living within 300 feet have the right to object. Student films are exempt from the permit fee.
“We have these great backdrops,” Nelson said. “From mid-century modern homes to old classic designs to some newer, more modern architecture. Plus we’ve got this gorgeous downtown, and great parks.”
Only Believe Entertainment was founded in 2017, according to its website. The company did not respond to requests for comment on the project Wednesday.
“OBE stands by the notion that artists should not wait for Hollywood to take a chance on them,” the company’s website said.
elewis@chicagotribune.com
