Politics
The proposed expansion of the Pilsen tax increment financing (TIF) district has been nothing short of divisive.
The controversial proposal has been shelved until next month after the Chicago City Council’s Committee on Finance decided not to move forward with the vote last week.
Those in favor of the expansion believe the TIF district could help fix economic and developmental challenges, while those opposed think it may further gentrify the community and push long-standing residents out of the beloved enclave.
“Over the last five years, the Pilsen community has seen a full public benefit under Ald. Sigcho-Lopez since 2019,” said Lucia Moya, chief of staff for the 25th Ward. “His usage of the industrial TIF as it exists has been used 100% within schools, within parks, within affordable housing.”
David Herrera, a former aldermanic candidate and lifelong Pilsen resident, has been one of the more vocal opponents of the TIF expansion.
“I’m against any and all TIFs,” Herrera said. “It really diverts money from the city’s general fund, and (things) should be dealt with with the city budget.”
Herrera, whose family has deep roots in Pilsen, warns of the unintended consequences of TIFs, arguing that they increase property taxes and lead to higher rents and the displacement of long-standing residents.
Diego Morales is also a Pilsen resident who was skeptical of the proposal at first before acknowledging that it’s a “new political era.” He believes TIFs could have a positive financial impact on the neighborhood, which has been hit with some of the greatest tax hikes in the city.
“This is about housing,” Morales said. “This is about giving people an affordable place to live, and we can determine that with our own tax dollars.”
The Rev. Brendan Curran of the Resurrection Project is another supporter of the proposal.
His main concerns are infrastructure shortfalls that the TIF proposal promises to address like repairing the local library and vaulted sidewalks and replacing old lead pipes in the area.
“It’s a win-win to help pay it forward for the next generation,” Curran said.