We compiled a list of some non-routine ordinances that will likely be voted on by the full Council today. The Mayor’s Tax Increment Financing surplus ordinance was discussed in Finance Committee this week, but Chairman Ed Burke held it in Committee after hearing a flurry of concerns from fellow aldermen.

Mayoral Ordinances

• Expanded Transit Oriented Development Guidelines: One of the biggest changes to the original proposal has to do with on-site parking requirements. Any developer building within a fourth of a mile (1,320 ft) of a CTA station and a half of a mile (2,640 ft) of a Metra station would need need to apply for a special use permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals if they want to completely eliminate on-site parking from their development plans. A 50% parking reduction is already allowed under the proposed ordinance. [Meeting Recap]

• Modifying City Treasury Investment Policies: According Treasurer Kurt Summers, this ordinance provides more transparency and accountability to the city’s investment policy by setting a minimum credit quality standard of Aa1 or better for the City’s investment portfolio. It also requires quarterly reports on the city’s investment portfolio to the City Council. (more details)

Aldermanic Ordinances

• New Mobile Food Vendor's License:  This is Ald. Roberto Maldonado’s (26) ordinance to bring mobile food vendors “out of the shadows” by establishing a $350 license to sell prepared food like tamales, elotes, and hot dogs on City streets. At the License & Consumer Protection Committee meeting, Ted Dabrowski of the Illinois Policy Institute estimated there are already 1500 food carts operating in the city selling 50,000 meals a year.  Between revenue from the $350 license fee vendors would pay, sales and income tax, and the penetration of food carts within the city going forward, Dabrowski says this change “could generate $2 to $8 million for the city.” [Meeting Recap]

• Wine Sales on the Chicago Riverwalk: Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) wants to make it legal for vendors to sell sealed, 750mL bottles of wine along the downtown Riverwalk during normal business hours (11am to 9pm), but since it is still illegal to consume alcohol along the Riverwalk, retailers can’t provide a corkscrew or drinking container with the purchase. [Meeting Recap]

Bond Issuances

• General Obligation Bonds (Max $500 million): The bonds will help restructure and pay down the city’s debt and reimburse the corporate fund for money taken out to pay previous debt. The bonds will have terms ending January 1, 2057.  Approximately $225 million will go toward restructuring purposes and the balance would be issued for savings.*

• Chicago O’Hare Airport Revenue Bonds (Max $2 billion): The bonds will help finance the O’Hare Modernization Program and other general airport repairs. The bonds are expected to be issued in October will be paid back from the O’Hare Fund.*

• Second Lien Wastewater Transmission Revenue Bonds: The original ordinance authorized $125 million to terminate the associated swaps. The substitute introduced in Committee adds a request for approval of $100 million in Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) loans and $350 million dollars in inducement authority. IEPA loans are federal grants provided to states for sewer improvement projects.

*There was a divided vote on the bond ordinances at the 9/21 Finance Committee meeting. Aldermen Willie Cochran (20), Pat Dowell (3), Scott Waguespack (32), John Arena (45), and Gregory Mitchell (7) voted against the O’Hare and Chicago General Obligation bonds, but the ordinance passed.

Zoning

• New Viceroy Hotel, Gold Coast (2nd Ward): The Viceroy Hotel Groupwants to demolish the vacant Cedar Hotel in the Gold Coast so it can build an 18-story building with 180 hotel rooms, a restaurant on the ground floor, and an open green space on a 12,000 sq. ft. site. [Meeting Preview]

• 53-Story Office Tower, Loop (42nd Ward): Tishman Speyer is looking to turn the surface parking lot and surrounding vacant land along 130 N. Franklin St. into an angular, glass office high rise. Plans include ground floor commercial retail, a restaurant, a minimum of 140 on-site parking spaces and a large outdoor plaza.  [Meeting Preview]

• Half Acre Brewery Beer Garden, Ravenswood (40th Ward): The beer distributer plans to build a 35,000 sq. ft. brewery with an adjoining tasting room and full service kitchen on the first floor, and office space on the second floor of the existing property adjacent to the Rosehill Cemetery. [Meeting Preview]  

• Parkway East Project, Lakeview (44th Ward):  Boston-based Broder Diversey, LLC wants to build an 11-story residential tower near Diversey Harbor, with 56 dwelling units and commercial retail at the base. This is the big housing development next to Yakzies Bar. [Meeting Preview]

• New Whole Foods, Lakeview (44th Ward) The new location on 3201 N. Ashland Ave. is part of a large expansion plan the company unveiled last year to open 11 new stores across the US and Canada. Ashland Belmont, LLCwill construct a 79,500 sq. ft. store with 305 parking spots. [Meeting Preview]

• Residential town on former Ed Debevic’s Diner site (42nd Ward):  Robert Stone and Jeffrey Himmel are part of a joint venture to build a residential complex at the site of the Ed Debevic’s 50’s themed restaurant in River North. Plans include a 22-story residential tower with 253 units and neighboring two-story commercial building to the west.  [Meeting Preview]

• Proposed 6-story Mixed-Use Building Next to New 606 Trail (32nd Ward) Centrum Partners’ plans include commercial retail and a refurbished Aldi’s Supermarket at the base, with 95 residential units spread among the top four floors. The approximately 59,000 sq ft site will also include a 60 car surface parking lot for shoppers and a 62 car basement garage for residents. [Meeting Recap]

• Proposed Apartment-Office Space Complex in Ravenswood (47th Ward) Hayes Properties will rehabilitate a nearly one hundred year-old, four-story brick building on 4801 N. Ravenswood Ave. into a mixed-use apartment and office building. Plans include 36 residential units, a little over 90,000 sq. ft. of office space, and enough parking for 69 cars. [Meeting Recap]

• Proposed Fulton Market Office Building (27th Ward ) The applicant, SRI-ASW Green Owner, LLC and 219 Partners, LLC, an entity controlled by Shapack Partners’ founding principal Jeff Shapack, want to designate three properties as Business Planned Development. Developers plan to build a one story (5,100 sq ft) commercial building, restore existing buildings, and add a new 11 story office building with a rooftop penthouse and deck. The new office building will have ground floor retail, parking for 59 cars on the 2-5 floors, and loft-style offices on the remaining top floors. [Meeting Recap]

Intergovernmental Agreements

• Read Dunning Park Expansion (38th Ward): The agreement between the City and the Chicago Park District transfers 7.5 acres of adjacent city owned land for $1 to the Park District to help with the $3 million expansion plan. The Park will have a turf field for sports, 93 parking spots and a walking path that encircles the park. Construction is scheduled to be completed by next summer. [Meeting Recap]

• Hadiya Pendelton Park Expansion (3rd Ward): The agreement transfers the adjacent City-owned vacant land at 4323-4329 S. Calumet Ave to the Park District, so they can turn the former Buckthorn playlot to a two acre park. [Meeting Recap]

• Policing at CHA Buildings: “This is an expense neutral type of agreement that has been in place for an extended period of time,” Vice Chairman Jason Ervin explained at the Budget Committee meeting. “Ultimately, this is essentially CHA paying the City of Chicago for services it is rendering on the city’s behalf.” This agreement dates back to 1999, when CHA disbanded its police department. [Meeting Recap]

• Environmental Studies on CHA-owned Land: Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Fleet and Facility Management Kimberly Worthington said this agreement lets the city conduct federally-required environmental reviews of CHA projects funded by federal grants to ensure they are compliant with soil, contamination, noise and historic preservation guidelines. Under the agreement, CHA will provide $75,000 upfront to the City. The agreement expires in 5 years, but can be renewed upon mutual agreement. [Meeting Recap]

• Authorizing TIF funds for improvements at CPS schools: Agreements include Marine Leadership Academy at Ames School, Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, Franklin Fine Arts Elementary School, Cather Elementary School, Franklin Fine Arts Elementary School, and Budlong Elementary School.

Sale of City Owned Land/Lease Agreements

• Sale of Former Marconi Elementary School (28th Ward): United for Better Living Inc. submitted the highest bid ($100,000) for the site of now-closed 6,200 square foot, 55 year-old Marconi Elementary School in West Garfield Park. United for Better Living is affiliated with Allison United Foundation for Better Living, a non-profit founded by the late Corinthians Temple Church of God in Christ (COGIC) Bishop Bennie Allison. [Meeting Recap]

• Lease Agreement for J. Michael Fitzgerald Apartments (39th Ward): The ordinance approves a 75 year ground lease agreement between the City and Fort Lauderdale-based Elderly Housing Development & Operations Corporation (EHDOC) to help with the development of the J. Michael Fitzgerald Apartments, an affordable housing development for seniors located within the North Park Village Nature Center.  [Meeting Recap]

Miscellaneous

• Collective Bargaining Agreement: The Committee on Workforce Development approved a contract for 17 police communications operators in the City’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication. The term of the agreement is from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2017, with a 1.25% raise for each of the first three years and a 1.5% raise for that last two years [Meeting Recap]

• Four class 6(b) Tax incentives: The Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development approved roughly $3.3M in property tax breaks over a twelve year period for Chicago-based companies looking to expand on dilapidated industrial sites. The class 6(b) real estate tax incentive is intended to reduce vacant industrial real estate in Cook County by providing businesses with a lower tax rate if they commit to rehabbing existing buildings or constructing new industrial property. These are the companies: Economy Packing Company (23rd Ward), REWL Venture, LLC (27th Ward), Wichita Packing Company (27th Ward), Primrose Candy Company (36th Ward). [Press Release] [Meeting Recap]

Appointments & Reappointments

• John T Hooker as the new Chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. The retired ComEd executive received a lot of support from the members of the Committee on Housing and Real Estate when he testified at his confirmation hearing earlier this month. [Meeting Recap]

• Community Development Commission: Cornelius D. Griggs, Gwendolyn L. Butler, Celena Roldan Moreno, Philip A. Alphonse. Moreno is the wife of Ald. Joe Moreno (1) and he will likely invoke Rule 14 when it comes up for a vote.  [Meeting Recap]

• Chicago Police Board: John Simpson, Claudia Venezuela; Reappointment of William F. Conlon [Meeting Recap]

• Commission on Chicago Landmarks: Gabriel Ignacio Dziekiewicz, Carmen A. Rossi, Juan G. Moreno; Reappointment of James M. Houlihan, Rafael M. Leon, Mary Ann Smith, Richard L. Tolliver and Ernest C. Wong [Meeting Recap]

• Chicago Plan Commission: Laura L. Flores, Sarah E. Lyons, Juan Linares; Reappointment of  Doris Holleb, who was appointed to the Commission in 1986 by Mayor Harold Washington. She is the longest serving member on the Plan Commission. [Meeting Recap]

• Zoning Board of Appeals: Blake P. Sercye; Reappointment of Sol A. Flores and Jonathan T. Swain [Meeting Recap]

• Board of Examiners of Mason Contractors: Reappointment of Henry M. Leahy and Luciano Padilla, Jr.

• Human Resources Board: Karen M. Coppa [Meeting Recap]

• The Chicago Low-income Housing Trust Fund: LaToya M. Dixon, Elise Doody Jones, Bishop Horace Smith, M.D., Jennifer Welch; Reappointment of Sol A. Flores, Levoi K. Brown, Malcolm Bush, Wayne L. Gordon, Thomas J. McNulty, and Kristin K. Nance. [Meeting Recap]

• Chicago Community Land Trust Board: Eva M. Brown, Michelle Morales; Reappointment of Patricia Abrams, Joel Bookman, Timothy Hughes, Edward H. Jacob, Guacolda E. Reyes, William W. Towns, Jeffrey Wright, and Marva E. Williams. [Meeting Recap]