A step forward for Irongate project

So if economic development gurus for the City of DeKalb got a lead on a technothinktank company seeking a site location for 1,000 highly skilled and paid jobs DeKalb could say it has the high end housing inventory their employees would demand.

That’s one of many aspects of the long debated, once rejected but now reconsidered Irongate residential subdivision.

By a 6-2 (Jacobson, Lash dissenting) vote the DeKalb city council approved receiving and filing the annexation application on first reading only. Such an application must receive a super-majority vote of the mayor and council for final approval which could take place upon passing of a second reading.

Irongate passed first reading by the minimum standards of a super-majority vote. The project is rejected if the mayor and council vote 5-3 IN FAVOR of the second reading for the application. Expect intense pressure to get one more NO vote by those opposed for whatever reason.

Unfortunately, much of the opposition appears against the developer of the project not the project itself. That’s the stuff that makes headlines and fills coffee cup discussions. ShoDeen Development, Inc. is one of that last major independent residential developers left standing in northern Illinois. Deserved or not he is about the only moving target in DeKalb.

Some of the baggage (NB&T Square) is deserved at least partially. When competition among many developers existed ShoDeen stood out from the rest because he was willing to take on the financial risks of redevelopment in the downtown districts of the communities he was doing business in. However there were often TIF carrots dangled to reduce the high costs of redevelopment including carrying costs. Redevelopment takes time to get all the pieces in place, including a TIF plan. Time is money especially if any amount of it is borrowed. Only Big Boys are allowed at that table.

The evolution of public TIF documents indicates that at least in the original grand plan there were “earmarks” for rebating interest costs for the development of “NB&T” square. TIF is complicated and all but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the City of DeKalb deserves a big part of the blame for the deterioration of the property west of First Street to the river between Lincoln Highway and the railroad tracks. If the City of DeKalb played along with obvious deterioration to make the project more TIF eligible then those officials should be held accountable. But DeKalb would not be alone in that practice. Ask Aurora taxpayers.

Other complaints and worries expressed regarding Irongate is ShoDeen’s finances. If the economy is to be the blame for the higher than anticipated costs of local government then ShoDeen might be given an equal mea culpa for any financial stress real or imagined.

That said the appointed city administration which operates under the city manager form of government has brought this application forward to the council. That system was designed to minimize ill advised political decisions by the elected board that are not based on the discovery of facts. ShoDeen’s financial status has been properly vetted by staff and the city is protected through surety bonds and validated letters of credit. If not evidence to the contrary should be presented without delay. And if not staff should be reprimanded if not fired.

By those same standards it should be assumed that staff has gone over the plans and they meet or exceed the requirements of the city’s unified development ordinance including the comprehensive plan and agreed to covenants, codes and restrictions.

The elected board needs accurate information to properly weigh all of the aspects of Irongate as well as the validity of the current comprehensive plan. If the city wants developers better and richer than ShoDeen to invest in the community it would do well to either follow its existing comprehensive plan or abandon it and put together one it will follow. Time is money. Irongate has been on the proposal shelf for a decade. That timeline can make more than one developer go broke.

Does Irongate fit the comprehensive plan. Does that plan fit the community? Is the community’s shape following that plan? If not then what is the plan? The administrative and outsourced expert payroll is just too high to be winging it on a prayer and a whim.

Will the city die of attrition due to declining property values, decay and exorbitant taxes? Can current residents afford status quo including the taxing districts’ total debt obligations and if not can they sell their homes to those who can? Will the city grow organically because local jobs drove the housing demand or will it become even more of a bedroom community? Since nearly 70% of the city is in one TIF district or another are their enough funds available to renew the existing homes? What does new construction EAV mean to all of the taxing bodies collecting from DeKalb residents? Does DeKalb have enough customers for the retailers targeted and recruited to invest in the community?

Truth or fiction: If new construction EAV continues at its current pace will property taxes in DeKalb soon double?

Honest answers are needed to these questions. If you don’t want to (or can’t) sell your DeKalb home because you can’t afford it consider asking your mayor or alderman for honest answers. Now is the time.