The administration of Rahm Emanuel okayed a financial scheme to move money for poor neighborhoods into a fund for Navy Pier, a downtown mall and theater.
$55 million dollars of Chicago TIF money were spent on the city's Navy Pier. "The bookkeeping jiujitsu appears to violate the spirit, if not the letter, of the controversial tax-increment financing program, which critics say has been widely abused and not used for its intended purpose of spurring development in or near economically disadvantaged neighborhoods," John Chase and Danny Ecker report for Better Government.
These funds, which were supposed to be for a hotel project within the boundaries of the TIF district, went to Navy Pier, but Chas and Ecker report that "[e]mails and internal documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show that officials at the city as well as the governing body of the lakefront convention complex knew the planned 1,205-room Marriott didn’t need the financing."
For the administration’s part, a spokesman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel says, "The $55 million was properly allocated for the hotel project within the confines of a TIF district." Emails uncovered through the freedom of information act dispute this claim.
Read the full story: HOW CITY POWER PLAYERS DIVERTED $55 MILLION IN BLIGHT-FIGHTING TIF CASH TO NAVY PIER
Editorial Board Calls for Tax Increment Financing Reform in Chicago
The Chicago Tribune says the city of Chicago can't be trusted with tax increment financing (TIF), so it's time for a do-over.
The Case Against Aldermanic Control of Infrastructure Spending
Chicago’s alderman have control of millions of dollars of street resurfacing "menu money" for local projects. Inspector General Joe Ferguson argues that money would be better spent in a coordinated effort.
O'Hare Tunnel, Proposed by Elon Musk, Looks Dead on Arrival in Chicago's New Political Regime
Advocates are relieved Elon Musk's proposal to build a new subterranean connection to O'Hare is dead, but still disappointed at the wasted brainpower and public funding devoted to the idea.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing
The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
'This is going to be painful:’ Virginia stares down $1.7 billion funding gap for highway maintenance
The state may address the deficit by shifting $290 million from its construction budget to maintenance projects.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello