In a story in the Morton Grove Champion, (http://mortongrove.suntimes.com/news/business/siteb-MGC-02062014:article ), entitled Morton Grove Seeking Pitches For Key Property Next To The METRA Station", it tells of the village sending out RFP's, (Request For Proposals), for redevelopment of "Parcel B", (for those who weren't paying attention, that's the Domicile Furniture Property that Mayor Krier and his administration bought without getting an EPA remediation agreement from the previous owner).
It has been estimated that the cost of making the site EPA compliant will range somewhere between $700,000 and $1.5 million over and above what the village has already paid.
Mayor DiMaria dreams of turning this parcel into an "Edison Park" like mixed use, residential/commercial anchor for his new "downtown" and the village expects to have RFP's in hand by March.
I question exactly what businessman in his right mind would bid on a property that will not pass EPA muster?
The village taxpayers are already on the hook for the $1,000,000 plus that it cost to buy the property, where does the mayor expect to find the additional $700,000 plus to clean up the site?
On real estate matters, it seems as though DiMaria is either being given bad advice... or he is ignoring good advice.
His administration has already purchased the old Maxwell's property for considerably more than his good friend paid for it, (and that doesn't include the old "Trackside" strip mall.) I don't think he had any meetings with the townhouse owners to the south informing them of his plans, although it affects their property value and HE DID make a campaign promise to listen to the people.
We keep hearing about new businesses, (like the "white table cloth restaurants" that trustee Grear was talking about), but what we see coming into town are title loan, (shark), operators and CEDA/WIC offices, (neither of which improve our tax flow, our image or our quality of life).
I guess, when it comes to the electorate of Morton Grove, mayor DiMaria and his crew have figured out that Barnum was right; "There's a sucker born every minute!"
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