$424.9M considered for projects at Fire stadium questioned

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – The Chicago City Council may vote Wednesday on deals to spend $424.9 million of tax increment financing on infrastructure for the Chicago Fire soccer stadium site.

On March 3, the Fire broke ground on its $750 million, privately-funded stadium in the city’s South Loop neighborhood.

Jeffrey Cohen, deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Economic Development in the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, explained the new redevelopment agreements to the city council finance committee on Monday.

“If approved, the funds would be used to reimburse eligible costs in the construction of public infrastructure, including new and modified streets, essential utilities, necessary site preparation work and open space connections, as well as a new podium that will house a city-owned parking garage and over two acres of new public open space,” Cohen said.

Cohen said the development would fill a site that has laid dormant for nearly 50 years. “The 78” is being developed by Related Midwest on what Cohen called “a 62-acre hole” in the city grid.

Alderman Bill Conway said much of the project is a bad deal.

“We are being asked to approve more than $400 million of taxpayer money, with over half of it going to a parking lot and a plaza,” Conway said.

Cohen said the parking garage cost would be about $68,000 per parking space.

Alderman Brendan Reilly questioned the deal allowing the transfer of taxpayer funds from the Canal-Congress TIF district to the Roosevelt-Clark district where the stadium is being built.

“Is there any plan, any mechanism to, at some future date, port back monies to the TIF district that is being raided to allow for future economic development and subsidy in the area where this money was originally intended to be spent?” Reilly asked.

Cohen said the idea of porting money back would not be off the table once the stadium development generates sufficient TIF revenue.

“Were I a property owner paying into the TIF on Canal, I would not be thrilled to know that all of this money that was intended to improve that community area is being sent elsewhere,” Reilly said.

Reilly said the Fire project is a good one, but he expressed frustration with what he called “hiding the football” by members of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration after Reilly found out that city officials discussed raiding the LaSalle Central TIF district in his ward to fund the Canal-Congress district.

Alderman Nicole Lee said the Chinatown community expressed concerns about additional traffic, especially with construction planned on the 18th Street bridge just south of the stadium site.

The Fire is expected to begin playing at the new stadium in 2028.

Despite Conway’s opposition, the finance committee approved the agreements by a vote of 30-1.

The full council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday.