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Board debates incentives to attract grocery store to former Mariano’s site; trustees weigh policy vs one-off deals
Summary
Trustees discussed growing developer requests for village support to close financing gaps, highlighted the vacant 1822 Willow (former Mariano’s) site and a cited $300,000–$400,000 sales-tax revenue loss, and varied between creating transparent incentive policies (or district tools) and caution about ad hoc subsidies; no funding decision was made.
Village staff told trustees the village has received increasing developer inquiries asking the village to help close funding gaps on redevelopment projects. Patrick used the former Mariano's site at 1822 Willow as a focal example, noting market competition from nearby grocery stores and build-out costs can create a financial gap that prompts requests for municipal assistance.
"Those things get close, they start getting down to the brass tax of what's the final number and what's it going to cost to build out and things come to a screeching halt," Patrick said, summarizing why owners and developers sometimes ask for help.
Trustees debated options. Some members urged a transparent policy or district-level tool (including TIF) to avoid perceptions of "picking winners and losers," while others argued the village should consider targeted incentives for a grocery chain given the economic and civic benefits a full-service supermarket could bring. Trustee Gallon said he favored the options in staff memo except for a business-development district, while others urged caution about giveaways and the potential harms to incumbent businesses.
Trustees also discussed financial trade-offs. When asked about sales-tax revenue loss from the Mariano’s vacancy, staff replied, "Between 300 $400,000 all day," indicating the annual revenue shortfall the village is experiencing in that center.
No formal incentive or funding decision was made. Staff said it will develop a process to vet any specific requests and return with recommended evaluation criteria and financial vetting steps before any commitment.
