The Calumet City Council approved resolutions to support several private redevelopment projects, including a Class 8 tax incentive renewal for an existing restaurant, a redevelopment agreement for a vacant building to house a new restaurant, and a rezoning/special-use concept for a redeveloped service station that would include electric vehicle charging.

Christina, the cityCommunity Economic Development director, introduced three business items. Attorney Stephen Griffin, representing Andy's Hot Dogs at 803 River Oaks Drive, asked the council to renew the Cook County Class 8 incentive for that property. Griffin explained the Class 8 program reduces the assessment level on qualifying commercial property from the standard 25% to 10% for the renewal period; he said the renewal period would be 10 years with stepped increases thereafter. Griffin also noted the operator has been at the site for about 20 years and weathered the pandemic.

Tiki Winn, owner of the proposed Tiki's Turkeys restaurant, described plans to activate a currently vacant building at 1625 Sibley with dine-in and drive-through service and said she expects to hire 10 to 15 full- and part-time employees and to start work immediately. Christina clarified the agenda contained a typo listing Burnham instead of Sibley and that staff would confirm the parcel's ward assignment after redistricting questions.

Attorney Dominic Lanzito presented a separate redevelopment and rezoning concept related to a property that previously operated as Cassidy Tire and an adjacent corner parcel tied to a land-exchange and settlement with a property owner named Abdallah. Lanzito said the proposal includes renovating the existing building and installing a fuel canopy and electric charging stations; he described rezoning from B-1 to B-2 and a special use needed to operate a fuel station. Lanzito said the city previously purchased the closed Cassidy Tire site and that the redevelopment is the culmination of prior settlement work and land-exchange discussions.

Council action: the council approved the package of resolutions and ordinances that included the Class 8 renewal and the redevelopment items. Staff said specific design plans and final agreements will be brought back to the council for review before permits or construction begin.

Why it matters: the Class 8 renewal reduces property assessment for an established small business; the redevelopment agreements aim to reactivate vacant buildings, add jobs, generate economic activity and add infrastructure such as EV chargers. Several aldermen asked for clarifications on ward boundaries, staffing numbers and timeline; Tiki's owner said residents would be given hiring priority for available positions.

Whathappens next: staff will return to the council with final redevelopment agreements, and design and permitting materials will be considered in subsequent meetings prior to construction or tax incentive implementation.