An apartment development could help urbanize the landscape of a DuPage County suburb if it can overcome a tax financing district struggle with local school districts.
Winfield trustees are poised to vote on Synergy Construction Group’s preliminary plans for a 147-unit apartment complex in the Village of Winfield that promises to boost the local economy, though its progress is entangled in a legal dispute over TIF funding with local school districts, the Daily Herald reported.
The Chicago-based developer, headed by Andrew Johnson, aims to build on the success of the firm’s earlier multifamily project known as Winfield Station.
“The first one was very successful and has certainly bolstered business at our Town Center businesses,” Village President Carl Sorgatz said. “This development is going to do the same thing and even magnify that opportunity.”
The developer is requesting “millions” in reimbursements and permit fee waivers, the outlet reported. But the village is in a lawsuit with local school districts that are contesting the TIF district established by Winfield.
The project can only get off the ground with the TIF reimbursements, Sorgatz said.
The districts have opposed the fundamentals of the TIF arrangement, which diverts increased tax revenue that developments create to pay for things like public infrastructure. The districts argue that TIFs don’t benefit schools and other taxing bodies.
If the court were to rule in favor of the school districts, they expect to be reimbursed for all costs associated with the development and implementation of the TIF district, which they argue should not be borne by them.
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The village asserts that the TIF district was established according to the Illinois TIF Act, and it is confident in its legal standing. The TIF has been a successful tool for economic development in numerous Illinois municipalities, including recent revitalization efforts in Wheaton, local officials say.
Trustees are expected to decide on the preliminary apartment plans by the end of summer, with a redevelopment agreement with Synergy Construction Group also nearing finalization.
— Andrew Terrell