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Orland Park approves sales-tax inducements to keep Original Pancake House, attract Egg Harbor
Summary
The Village Board approved performance-based sales-tax sharing inducements for the Original Pancake House to return to Orland Park and for Egg Harbor to open, with the village manager to verify build-out costs before reimbursements.
The Orland Park Village Board on Aug. 4 approved two restaurant inducement agreements: a revised backfill inducement with Original Pancake House and a sales-tax sharing inducement with Egg Harbor. Trustee Katsenas moved to approve the Original Pancake House inducement; the motion passed on a roll call vote. Trustee Lawler moved the Egg Harbor inducement; that motion also passed on a roll call vote.
The agreements are performance-based, and the village will verify costs and paperwork before any payment is made. Village Manager George Kozwara said reimbursement is contingent on the restaurant completing required paperwork and submitting documentation of build-out costs before money is paid. Trustee Katsenas emphasized the performance requirement, saying, “They don't perform, they don't get the inducement.”
The Original Pancake House was described by trustees as a returning local business that lost its prior lease and will move into an updated space formerly occupied by Houlihan’s. Trustees said keeping that business preserves a local, resident-owned restaurant. The Egg Harbor inducement is contingent on the new tenant meeting all village planning, zoning and building requirements before the inducement is paid.
Discussion during the meeting addressed verification of the stated build-out costs. Trustee Lawler asked whether the village verifies reported build-out amounts; Kozwara answered that no money is reimbursed until paperwork is provided and the village completes a verification process. Trustees recorded unanimous approval on the roll call votes reported at the meeting.
The board authorized the village manager to execute the inducement agreements subject to village attorney review and to ensure performance-based conditions were satisfied before payments.
Less critical procedural points: the inducements were approved as outlined in the agenda item; specific inducement percentages (trustees referred to a 25% reimbursement formula in general when discussing inducements) were discussed but final payment depends on documented, verified costs.
