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Council considers $100,000 exterior grant for Bean Bar; staff recommends allowing Lucid Motors to start construction pending rebate agreement
Summary
City staff recommended pooling five years of exterior-improvement grant funds to offer Bean Bar a $100,000 grant to support an estimated $1.5 million renovation and proposed allowing Lucid Motors to begin construction at 1200 Old Skokie Road while the sales-tax rebate agreement is finalized.
City Manager Gita Newkirk told the council that Bean Bar, a full‑service restaurant proposing to locate at 565 Roger Williams in the Ravinia business district, seeks additional support beyond available food-and-beverage and exterior-improvement grants.
Newkirk said staff recommend pooling five years of the exterior improvement grant (the city's program is $20,000 per year) to create a one-time $100,000 grant for the project, citing the property's prolonged vacancy and the applicant's planned roughly $1,500,000 private investment.
"We are suggesting consideration of using the exterior improvement grant funds, which are currently, a matching grant of $20,000 per year," Newkirk said, adding the proposal would make the business ineligible for subsequent exterior-improvement grants for five years if the council approves the one-time allocation.
Newkirk also reported the city has been working with Lucid Motors on a potential occupancy at 1200 Old Skokie Road and described the city's long‑established sales‑tax rebate program. She said the program is for new businesses making a minimum capital investment of $250,000 and generating at least $1,000,000 in annual sales‑tax revenue. Because Lucid is on an expedited schedule, staff recommended allowing construction to begin with the understanding that a formal sales‑tax rebate agreement will be presented at the next council meeting.
Council members asked about precedent for pooling grants and whether staff would return a formal agreement for council approval. One council member characterized the Bean Bar request as an "aberration" and staff confirmed the proposal would be a special, one-time exception. Staff said the lease negotiations and the formal agreement would be returned to the council for final approval.
No formal funding approval was recorded at this meeting; staff said the agreement and any related ordinance or contract would be on a future agenda for formal council consideration.
