The CTA is entering into anagreement with the city to receive $1,173,768 in Tax Increment Financing (TIF funds) for station improvements made at the Red Line Berwyn station. CTA this year made improvements at the Berwyn station, which is located within the City's Edgewater TIF District. The work performed was a TIF-eligible expense.
Says a CTA spokesperson: "The agreement would allow CTA to be reimbursed through TIF funding and free up scarce capital resources to improve other parts of the system and helps the agency continue to move toward its goal to reach a state of good repair.
Specific improvements included:
- Replacing the canopies and lighting.
- Repainting the canopy support columns.
- Replacing the plaster columns and installing new ceilings.
- Installing concealed gutter systems inside the stationhouses.
- Loop Signal Project, which involves replacing the signal and train control systems at Lake/Wells and Van Buren/Wabash, two of the busiest junctions where Brown, Orange, Green, Purple and Pink Line trains enter/exit the Loop, used $17.4 million in Central Loop TIF funds for a portion of the work.
- Subway Escalator Project, which replaced nine escalators in the Red and Blue Line subways, used $4.8 million in Central Loop TIF funds.
- Howard Station Renovation expects to use $4.4 million in Howard-Paulina TIF funds for a portion of the work (repair concrete retaining walls, foundation walls and viaduct; stair enclosures at platform level and to extend the canopy).
8 Comments
John Bredin said:
What's the status of the plan to build a Morgan stop on the Green Line with TIF funds?
jack said:
Supposedly they were able to swap federal funds for TIF ones. However, does anybody have any indication that construction has commenced?
By the way, did the CTA spokesperson speak on the record, and is there a Press Release or the like on transitchicago.com? I would take it with a grain of salt if the now "supposedly justified" use of what the press has caterogized as "Daley's secret stash" was merely leaked.
Also, this does show that the money is there if someone wants to apply it. If the Morgan TIF funds were freed, why not spend then on the United Center station? Why haven't TIF funds been used to fix all the crummy stations north of Addison (possibly excluding those that were renovated some time in the last 30 years)?
Scooter Libbby said:
Rebuild Berwyn?
What a total waste of money!
Build a new station at Foster & close both Berwyn & Argyle.
There are far too many stations north of Wilson!
ICRR said:
Lets hope they rename the station EDGEWATER or EDGEWATER BEACH
Mich said:
Finally, a plan to use TIF funds for something that benefits all in the area.
And they better not rename it, Berwyn is barely within the Edgewater boundaries, it is nearly Uptown.
jack said:
Berwyn is across from where the Edgewater Beach hotel was, and was traditionally called Edgewater. Also, Berwyn (street) is not Berwyn (suburb or Svengoolie line).
In that you are saying it is nearly Uptown, that just indicates how the neighborhood may have declined. However, socio-economic wise, Bryn Mawr is even more Uptown.
Scooter Libbby said:
The original Berwyn signs were "Berwyn-Edgewater Beach".
bopo said:
Let's hope they do a better job than the Argyle rehab. The new roof is leaking already.
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