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Oak Park officials point to Brownfield TIFs as drivers of recent redevelopment
Summary
City staff described how Brownfield plans and tax-increment financing have enabled redevelopment of sites including the armory and a $30M Barton Mallow facility, and clarified the captured increment is used for remediation and not direct general-fund spending.
During audience questions, Jackie Griffin asked how much of the Public Act 345 revenue is diverted to Brownfield and Corridor Improvement Authorities. City manager responded that state law requires carve-outs where Brownfield or other authorities exist; outside those carve-outs, he said, the levy proceeds go to public safety. He explained the Brownfield mechanism by pointing to past armory cleanup and redevelopment that relied on incremental tax capture to fund remediation and make private development economically feasible.
Dave DeCoster described ongoing Brownfield projects, citing Eaton Steel and Barton Mallow and saying Barton Mallow is a roughly $30,000,000 project. City manager stressed the Brownfield captures incremental tax value rather than spending existing city funds: “The city's not paying anything because if these properties weren't developed, there would be no revenue from these properties anyway,” he said, describing the incremental TIF as a financing tool to remediate contaminated sites and attract investment.
