Evanston council rejects $400,000 TIF grant for Choice Authentic restaurant after extended debate
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Summary
After hours of testimony from applicants and neighborhood supporters—and multiple failed amendments to reduce or restructure funding—the council voted 8–1 to deny a requested $400,000 TIF grant for the Choice Authentic restaurant at Dempster and Dodge.
The City Council on Jan. 12 declined a request for $400,000 in TIF financial assistance for the proposed Choice Authentic restaurant. The request, moved under EDC1, drew lengthy public comment and a detailed back‑and‑forth among council members over precedent, budget priorities and the risk of restaurant startups.
Supporters—including Nancy Floyd of Heartwood Center, applicant Gabrielle Walker Aguilar and co‑applicant Byron Lapion—described the project as a community‑oriented healthy restaurant and “third space” for youth and neighborhood events. Floyd presented a financing breakdown: the project is a roughly $2,000,000 build‑out, with applicants and community donors bringing about 31% of project funding, a WindTrust loan covering about 44%, and a remaining funding gap for which they requested $400,000 in TIF assistance. Floyd and others said the applicant had taken steps to reduce city risk, including offering a clawback provision so the city would be repaid if the business failed and the property were sold.
Opponents on council cited concerns about precedent‑setting large grants to restaurants, limited TIF resources for other targeted uses, and the historically high failure rate for restaurants. Multiple motions to amend the award (proposals to lower it to $300,000, $200,000, $100,000, or to combine grant and loan structures) failed to secure majority support. An attempt to reconsider the vote also failed.
The final roll call on the original $400,000 grant motion failed 8–1, with Council member Kelly the sole vote in favor. Economic development staff and the applicants said that a $100,000 award would be insufficient to complete the kitchen build‑out and close the property deal; applicants said a $200,000 grant plus a $100,000 loan could make the project feasible but that they were at capacity for additional loans.
