Big "Jimmy" & his Alderman Friend vs Bike Shop

Score one for the neighborhood for now, but it's not over. The Sun Times reports today on a cozy little scheme by a developer friend of the alderman to take over a city block through eminent domain. After the Kelo decision by the US Supreme Court, just about anything qualifies as a public purpose if it is designated a blighted area in Illinois.

But one person's blight is another person's valued longtime neighborhood business. Who decides?

It wasn't worth the trouble, city officials said.

Last week, the City of Chicago quietly dropped its lawsuit against the Sportif bike shop, a fixture in the Jefferson Park neighborhood for the last 35 years.

As the U.S. Supreme Court was deciding last year by a controversial 5-4 vote that governments can take private property to give to developers who can create more profitable "economic development," a miniature version was playing out on the Northwest Side.

The city was using its power of eminent domain to clear the south side of Lawrence Avenue from the Kennedy Expy. to Milwaukee Avenue for developer Demetrius "Jimmy" Kozonis' Mega Properties to build a seven-story apartment complex. He had already completed a CVS pharmacy on the corner and now wanted the bike shop property.

What happens to land now?

City lawyers said this was very different than the U.S. Supreme Court case because the City Council had designated the Jefferson Park business district as "commercially blighted," giving the city authority under state law to use eminent domain.

The City Council generally defers to the wishes of the local alderman.

That's Patrick Levar (45th), who sits on the Jefferson Park Chamber of Commerce with Kozonis, used to have office space in Kozonis' Veteran's Square Tower, which Levar helped Kozonis get the land to build, and has accepted campaign contributions from Kozonis.

Levar said designating the district "blighted" and creating a special taxing district would help redevelop the area.

All the other property owners eventually acquiesced, but bike shop owner Donald Zordani hired a lawyer and fought.

For now, Zordani has his bike shop. Big "Jimmy" was going to build 7 and 10 stories buildings on either side of his one story building, but:

After a raucous public hearing on that proposal, Levar said he agreed with neighborhood residents who complained 10 stories was too high. It remains unclear what Mega will do with the otherwise vacant block now.

The Illinois legislature is looking at a law to narrow the definition of blight (so it doesn't include the entire state!!!--cracked sidewalks, etc.) and make sure small businesses and individual home owners threatened with it get some reasonable compensation.

The lawyers are still hopeful they can grab the bike shop land in this story, so ask your village president, trustees, and candidates for state office where they stand.

Eminent domain has powerful friends in this state.