If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you’re misinformed. – Mark Twain
Dear Reader!
In my haste to move onto things that actually generate income, I inadvertently cut the second Author’s Note off of yesterday’s column. But not to fear, oh, loyal adoring throng. Since it certainly bears mentioning, I’m going to give it its own short space today.
How is it that fake reporter Brenda Schory and the Kane County Chronicle haven’t begun to cover the seemingly inevitable Third Street low-income housing story? I mean, the Burton Foundation has done such a bang up job with Emma’s Landing that apparently there’s nothing to write about. This 35 unit building is going to have a MAJOR impact on our not-so-quaint downtown and the Chronicle doesn’t write a word about it? Why? Because Brenda’s lips are inserted so far up Kevin Burns’ ass that she can no longer effectively use a keyboard.
If you’re one of the three people that still subscribes to that rag, please do us all a favor and cancel it today. Let’s put that paper out of our misery.
Jeff, the Burton Foundation’s proposed Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) development at the old Duke and Lee’s site is for 54 units, not 35. At least, that’s what the mayor told the Illinois Housing Development Authority a year ago. You know, the letter no one had apparently seen until you found it?
The 2020 proposed mixed-use development at 609 S. Third Street in Geneva, Illinois, was to transform the former Duke & Lee’s auto repair site into a vibrant residential and commercial hub. The plan included constructing a building with 60 apartments, approximately 6,000 square feet of commercial space, and 63 off-street parking spaces. The Geneva City Council unanimously approved the initial site plan for the development in 2020. The City Council granted a third extension for the project in 2023. During an October 2024 meeting, the council voted 6-3 in favor of granting a fourth extension. Some council members expressed concerns about the repeated delays, noting that this was the fourth request since the project’s initial approval.
The question must be raised as to whether the entire City Council had been informed of the mayor’s letter of March 2024 approving the LIHTC housing on the site when the council granted a fourth extension in October. The assumption seems to be that the Burton Foundation bought the “by right” prior PUD approval when it bought the property, but the unseen actual plan now may be substantially different. So, a new PUD Special Use permit may be required. An up-to-date traffic study has not been done. The commercial component may be gone. An environmental study of the potential LUST site might be required to obtain Federal LIHTC money, etc.
Remember when the City “forgot” to require the required IDOT permit for the Dunkin’ on East State/Route 38, delaying the project for years? Route 25 is also a state highway. The Geneva Municipal memory shows signs of further deterioration.