Politics & Government

How Do TIFs Work? WBEZ Uses Sharpies to Explain

The fine folks over at Curious City, WBEZ's excellent series that answers all your Chicago-related quandaries, set out to provide an easy to understand look at TIF districts.

What they ended up with was Sharpie drawings and a straightforward video that gives you a primer on TIFs and their growing impact in the Chicago region. Watch the above video and gain an understanding of one of the most powerful tools your local government has to push money toward projects.

While TIFs can spur development, they also have an impact on the funding of your schools and other local government entities.

Oak Lawn currently has five TIF districts. Projects in Oak Lawn that have received TIF funds in recent years have included the Oak Lawn Triangle, the Oak Lawn train station, and the commuter parking garage.

Find out what's happening in Oak Lawnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One of the most prominent TIF projects is the re-development of 111th Street and Cicero Avenue, site of the future Mariano's supermarket.

Written by Dan Lambert

Find out what's happening in Oak Lawnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


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