Taylor Street revisits heated Special Services Area discussion
By Jean Lachowicz
The historic and socially significant Taylor Street/Little Italy area, with its unique blend of long-time residents and small businesses together with the University of Illinois at Chicago and a growing community of young professionals, is again at the forefront of planning and development discussions.
Frustrated by how long it takes City crews to repair and maintain the area’s streetscape, some Taylor Street businesses and residents have for years talked about designating the street as a Special Services Area (SSA). Recently, those conversations resurfaced.
According to Chris Provenzano, executive director of the University Village Association (UVA), “The City would like it. They would like to put SSAs everywhere, but as long as we have CHA property on the street, it’s not viable.
“A few years ago, we got together a group of businesspeople and crunched the numbers. Mainly, the SSA has to be a contiguous district, and the Taylor Street district is not contiguous because of the five blocks of CHA property. This talk of an SSA has floated around for years, but nothing has changed. It’s not financially viable,” he said.
“Scrap metal collectors come around and tear out fixtures and plaques,” Provenzano continued. “Lights are not replaced. An SSA would allow the community to have more control over the street and maintain the area around places like the Joe DiMaggio statue, the Piazza, and Carpenter and Taylor Streets, but we just have to look at alternatives. We hope the UVA is able to raise some funds for these projects through Festa Italiana."
An SSA raises funds to provide specified services for a targeted area by levying a real estate property tax. Property owners choose to tax themselves in order to provide these services. The services funded through the SSA tax are in addition to services generally provided by the City.
Examples of special services include sidewalk maintenance and beautification, landscaping, advertising and marketing, business recruitment and retention, parking, and safety programs.
Since 1977, 43 SSAs have been established in Chicago, of which 37 remain active today, including SSA #1 State Street (Loop), SSA #10 Back of the Yards, SSA #13 Stockyards, SSA #16 Greektown, SSA #25 Little Village, and SSA #39 Brighton/Archer.
In 2004 and 2005, Taylor Street residents and businesses were at odds over how much money an SSA would cost property owners, how funds would be administered and by which organization, and who would decide which specific special services would be most advantageous for the community.
Maria DiPaolo, who along with her husband Mario “Skippy” owns Mario’s Italian Lemonade on Taylor Street, said, “An SSA would run us out of Taylor Street. It would be another slap in the face. I will do everything I can to fight it. Another tax would hit us very hard.”
DiPaolo recounted heated conflicts with the UVA over this issue in recent years; about three or four years ago, the debate appeared to favor an SSA. “I remember that too much of the decision-making about an SSA was done in closed-door meetings, with only invited guests allowed to participate," DiPaolo said. "Florence Scala circulated a petition, and a majority of property owners and registered voters in the area were opposed to forming an SSA. Now that Florence has passed away, I suppose I’ll have to be up there shouting and screaming,” she said.
Joseph Schweiterman, director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University, said, “We are seeing more and more backlash against SSAs because of deteriorating attitudes about the tax burden. Mayor Richard Daley has been fairly aggressive on the property tax front, and it is harder to sell the idea of an SSA to small businesses and residents.
“Unfortunately, SSAs are about the only game in town when it comes to streetscapes and façade improvements,” Schweiterman continued. “But issues like parking resonate far more with residents and small business owners than issues like aesthetics. Most of the SSA action has been in the suburbs in recent years, where new developments need to build infrastructure. In the city, SSAs tend to be stronger in lakefront neighborhoods where there is a great deal of community involvement in the SSA.”
Daniel Solis, alderman of the 25th Ward, said, “I will respect what the businesses and residents on Taylor Street want to have. If the UVA and other groups support the idea of an SSA on Taylor Street, I will do whatever I can to help. But if they think it is not feasible, I’ll follow their lead.”
