Avon council declares economic revitalization area for Chicago Industrial site to start tax-abatement process

Avon Town Council approved a resolution to declare an economic revitalization area (ERA) for the Chicago Industrial site, the first formal step in a tax-abatement application for a proposed 613,000-square-foot industrial building.

A staff member told the council the applicant has a tenant and requested an expedited schedule; staff said the ERA declaration triggers a roughly 45-day review process and that the tax-abatement committee will review the full abatement application. The staff member noted the applicant had not provided job numbers and that the council will hold a public hearing at its second meeting in May when job figures and other details should be available.

"This is the first step in the process for a tax abatement," the staff member said, explaining the town must establish the area before the abatement petition proceeds. Council members asked staff to obtain the missing job information before the May hearing; staff also said it would correct a typographical error in a referenced prior resolution number.

A council member moved to approve resolution 2026-12 declaring an economic revitalization area for the Chicago Industrial property; the motion passed on roll-call vote with council members named in the transcript recorded as voting to approve. The council emphasized that the ERA declaration is procedural: the actual abatement would be considered at a future meeting when the council reviews a completed application, including job projections.

Next steps: the tax-abatement committee will meet to review the application, staff will request job numbers from the applicant, and the council will conduct a public hearing at its second May meeting before final consideration of any abatement.