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2006 Year in Review
Improving the economy and quality of life in Chicago's neighborhoods was the priority for the Department of Planning and Development in 2006 by creating opportunities for the growth, sustainability and preservation of the diverse communities that make Chicago one of the best places to live, work and raise a family.
"Our efforts focused on helping businesses and developers realize the opportunities that exist within communities which leads to more jobs, retail growth and affordable housing choices," said Lori T. Healey, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development.
Part of that effort included sponsoring the first-ever Grocery Store Expo, designed to generate interest in Chicago's neighborhoods among major grocery store chains. The day-long expo, which attracted retailers from throughout the country, showcased available business opportunities and city programs.
Our ever expanding downtown continues to thrive and serve as the city's economic engine, but development can be found in every corner of Chicago. From the North Side to the South Side to the West Side and to downtown, the department has retained and recruited thousands of jobs at companies like United Airlines, which is relocating to Wacker Drive from the suburbs, Blommers Chocolate, which updated its plant in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, Coca-Cola, which is renovating a former Helene Curtis facility in Humboldt Park, Steelhead Corporation, a metals company moving from Bedford Park to the Southwest Side, and MiFab, a plumbing distributor that moved from Canada to the Far South Side.
Department efforts have received national recognition including the U.S Environmental Protection Agency Smart Growth award for a transit oriented project with the Bethel Center in West Garfield Park which transformed a former contaminated brownfield into a community anchor.
This year, economic development initiatives created nearly 3,000 jobs and retained 5,800 others throughout the city. One program that directly relates to job creation and retention are Planned Manufacturing Districts (PMD).
Through the use of strict zoning requirements, PMDs provide the means for local industrial, manufacturing and technology-based companies to expand as well as incentives for businesses outside of Chicago to relocate here. Since their inception, PMDs have been responsible for generating more than $1 billion in private and public investment, making Chicago a national model in industrial retention and growth.
Small businesses will get assistance to help them expand through a new City program. The Small Business Development Fund will make $5 million in low interest loans available over the next five years to qualified neighborhood companies for improvements to their operations and increases in their workforce.
Many development efforts have been aided through the Tax Increment Financing program, which has proven to be one of the city's most effective private-public partnership tools. In 2006, the program leveraged more than $960 million in private investment through $210 million in public assistance.
In addition to helping to spur development projects, most of which would not be possible without the use of TIF, the program also funded other initiatives such as TIF Works which has provided training for thousands of Chicagoans seeking industrial jobs.
On the housing front, the city's financial initiatives along with the support of the Department of Housing and the Chicago Housing Authority is helping to advance the Plan for Transformation through the creation of approximately 1,000 affordable housing and CHA replacement units for Chicago families in 2006.
The Department successfully negotiated land sales totaling almost $18 million in 2006 through sealed bids, the Adjacent Neighbors Land Acquisition (ANLAP) program, and other initiatives which have helped us transform blighted and underutilized sites into productive properties.
Preserving Chicago's past is just as important as building its future. The City was recently honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation for its efforts to preserve and restore Mather Tower, a 41-story skyscraper built in 1928. Utilizing city and other public incentives, the building was completely rehabilitated into first-class office and hotel space.
Earlier this year the city took steps to protect historic water tanks by requiring an automatic review of all proposed demolitions. Constructed of wood and metal, the tanks were a familiar fixture of our skyline. Once numbering in the thousands, less than 200 rooftop and free-standing tanks remain.
Official landmark status was granted this year to one district and fourteen individual buildings, including the Palmer House Hotel, Mundelein College Skyscraper, Roberts Temple and the Carl Sandburg House. These new designations bring the total number of landmark buildings to 237 buildings, and the number of landmark districts to 49 encompassing some 7,600 buildings.
To improve and protect Chicago's valuable natural resources, the Department of Planning and Development, along with the Mayor's Nature and Wildlife Committee and more than 30 conservation organizations, published the first-ever Chicago Nature and Wildlife Plan. The plan identifies 4,800 acres of prairies, savannas, dunes, woodlands and wetlands, and sets forth techniques for keeping these areas habitat friendly.
Chicago remains a recognized leader when it comes to incorporating green technology into urban developments. Currently, more than 250 green roof projects totaling more than 2.8 million square feet have built or are planned on public and private buildings throughout Chicago, more than any other city in the country.
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