A rendering of the LeClaire Courts redevelopment plan proposed by the Chicago Housing Authority and two private development firms [Department of Planning and Development]

Mayor Lori Lightfoot brought to the City Council this month a plan to create the city’s first new tax-increment financing district — a controversial financing mechanism that siphons new property tax revenues into a fund for capital projects — since Mayor Rahm Emanuel spearheaded the creation of a new district around the Lincoln Yards development in 2019.

If approved, the new Cicero/Stevenson tax-increment (TIF) financing district (O2022-1742) will seize future property taxes to pay for street infrastructure, water pipes and other public works around the site of the Chicago Housing Authority’s pending redevelopment of the LeClaire Courts housing complex near the city’s southwest border. The local alderman says the new district has his full support, and the support of his constituents.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Friday shed light on how she plans to pick the seven members of the new Community Commission for Public Safety and Police Accountability. And the mayor stayed tight-lipped on who will be next tosucceed a resigning alderman as head the council’s education committee.

The Chicago Plan Commission approved a 204-unit residential building at 210 N. Morgan St.

Members of the Chicago Plan Commission on Thursday quickly approved three new residential developments including a 204-unit building with affordable units proposed for Fulton Market.

Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) proposed an ordinance he hopes will help attract and retain police officers in Chicago. [Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago]

More than 30 aldermen have signed on to a proposal from Ald. Matt O’Shea (19) that would give new Chicago police officers up to a $10,000 signing bonus or the same amount in assistance for first time homebuyers who serve in the department.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot speaks during a news conference after Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Aldermen overwhelmingly approved a plan to move forward with Bally’s $1.7 billion blueprint for a Chicago casino, more narrowly endorsed Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s curfew crackdown plan and threw another hurdle in front of a proposed ethics crackdow during a marathon City Council meeting on Wednesday.

Ald. Michael Scott, Jr. (24) and his wife Natashee Scott are set to pay $8,000 to buy a pair of vacant city-owned parcels next to their home in the 1200 block of South Albany Avenue. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line; Byrnes & Walsh LLC]

Departing Ald. Michael Scott (24) is on track to benefit from a city-backed land deal in his own ward shortly after he leaves office that would allow him to and his wife Natashee Scott to buy a pair of vacant lots adjoining their North Lawndale home.

The alderman has defended the move as above board, saying he had no personal involvement in the pair of land sales that his wife pursued through Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration so that his young children can enjoy a safe outdoor play space in the shadow of their home. And planning officials in Lightfoot’s administration also say the pending sales cross no legal or ethical lines.

Still, the Scotts were able to take advantage of a city-led appraisal that undercut nearby property values, and of a city program that offers discounts to property owners who buy publicly owned parcels next-door to them.

A 380-foot, 204-unit residential building is proposed for 210 N. Morgan St. In the 27th Ward.

The Chicago Plan Commission is set to meet on Thursday to consider a sparse agenda that includes a 204-unit residential proposed to be built in Fulton Market.

The mayor's allies blocked a vote Wednesday on Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez's (25) ordinance to downzone a Pilsen church to better control future development on the property. [Left, middle: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago; Right: Mauricio Pena/Block Club Chicago]

This article was first published in Block Club Chicago.

City Council members blocked a vote on an ordinance to downzone the site of the beloved St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church in Pilsen, setting off a heated exchange between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th).

Alds. Nicholas Sposato (38th) and Ariel Reboyras (30th) moved to defer and publish Sigcho-Lopez’s proposal during Wednesday’s meeting, meaning it won’t go before City Council for a full vote until next month.

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25) and Eric Wollan, chief capital assets officer for the Archdiocese of Chicago, speak during a committee meeting on Tuesday.

Aldermen on Tuesday supported a colleague’s proposal to downzone a shuttered Pilsen church as a way to slow any proposed redevelopment despite warnings from the city’s law department and the Archdiocese of Chicago that the move could invite a lawsuit against the city.

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) speaks during a committee meeting on Tuesday.

A normally routine re-referral of a proposal out of the City Council’s rules committee led to confusion and an unusual roll call vote on Tuesday an alderman attempted in vain to further delay a proposal that would allow the booting of cars citywide.

Ald. Michael Scott during a political event in March 2020 [Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago]

A popular West Side alderman and key ally of Mayor Lori Lightfoot is calling it quits at the end of next week, setting up the mayor’s second opportunity to fill a vacancy on the City Council.

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15) filing notice Monday for a special City Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday [Alex Nitkin/The Daily Line]

The City Council is set to give its official blessing on Wednesday to a plan tying the fate of Chicago’s finances with Bally’s $1.7 billion blueprint for a casino, hotel and entertainment district in River West. The council is also on track to take a vote on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s controversial proposal to move up the city’s youth curfew to 10 p.m.

Following the abbreviated City Council meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday, aldermen are set to reconvene for an impromptu 3 p.m. hearing forced by aldermen to grill police, parks and school district officials on their plans to get ahead of summer violence.

Clockwise from top-left: Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Comm. Larry Suffredin (D-13), Comm. Stanley Moore (D-4) and Civic Federation president Laurence Msall speak during a virtual meeting on Tuesday.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners quickly approved a measure on Tuesday to hike the salaries for all county elected officials — including themselves — by 10 percent, with step-ups set to follow every year through 2026.

Commissioners defended the pay bump as a long-overdue and necessary step to keep up with inflation and to keep the county’s top positions attractive to candidates. But with just five weeks until the primary election, it proved an awkward maneuver for incumbents and a gift to their challengers. All four commissioners who are facing primary challenges voted against the measure.

Aldermen convene for a special City Council meeting on Monday. [The Daily Line/Alex Nitkin]

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and her City Council allies stuck the landing Monday on a series of procedural acrobatics designed to tee up preliminary approval for Wednesday of a $1.7 billion Chicago casino plan, overcoming a flurry of late questions to advance an ordinance and corresponding public benefits agreement in a lopsided vote.

The City Council Special Committee on the Chicago Casino launched the casino measures to approval in a 27-3 vote just after the full City Council gave final stamps of approval to dozens of other items, including a program designed to speed the installation of water meters and a new licensing apparatus to allow major concert venues like the upcoming “Salt Shed” to hold outdoor concerts.

However, Lightfoot’s allies punted on a plan to codify her controversial push to push forward the city’s youth curfew, throwing the ordinance’s chances of passage into doubt.

Members of the ECPS Coalition speak during a news conference on Wednesday [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

Aldermen will get the chance on Tuesday to question the 14 potential nominees to the city’s first-of-its-kind citywide civilian committee tasked with overseeing the Chicago Police Department.