For the 3rd time:

“By the way, DuPagedude is our local Village Idiot…even though he moved out of our Village in a bit of shame…after his political career went down the toilet. Now he has a agenda, and it’s not really the theatre. He just uses it as a pawn….His incoherent ramblings of under the table deals and conspiracy theories are as ridiculous as he is.”

Don’t listen to this guy, he has an agenda and it’s not the theatre. All he wants to do is bring down a trustee.

About dupagedude (aka JD), read from a previous post:

“By the way, DuPagedude is our local Village Idiot…even though he moved out of our Village in a bit of shame…after his political career went down the toilet. Now he has a agenda, and it’s not really the theatre. He just uses it as a pawn….His incoherent ramblings of under the table deals and conspiracy theories are as ridiculous as he is.”

Now for the hard of reading people (duper), I NEVER said I was against condo’s, just against a 5-story 86 unit one. Read my previous post, I said a more manageable 25-30 condo’s.

And for the 4th or 5th time I do not post under any other alias', unlike dupagedude who jumps on the “other” website all the time as numerous different people. I suggest that you contact the administrators of this site to verify this fact. Until you do that quit making things up.

All you preservationist out there just read their posts, they lie, they make up stories, they bash, they assume, etc.. This has been their game plan the whole time.

Now they are against saving a part of it as I have suggested…hmm does that sound like preservation to you??? No really it’s their “My way or the highway” attitude.

Now they have resorted to threats of lawsuits, how pathetic, and how unoriginal…I predicted they would do that on June 1. That’s been their problem all along…rally’s, pancake breakfast’s, sign.

So they spew out garbage about TIF’s and conspiracy theories, yet we are fast approaching their 1 year anniversary of their last fundraiser. That’s what I call real hard work (that’s a sarcastic remark, not a compliment). Now all they are doing, instead of trying to save the theatre, is look for a fall guy, somebody else to take the blame.

Oh joy…LombardTaxWatch.com should really be WeDidNotGetOur$8MillionSoNoOneElseGetsTaxDollars.com

Give it up…your flawed logic does you in every time. And this latest historical commission threat is the icing on the cake. Why is it at the 11th hour they suddenly come forth? Where have these so called “historians” been all these years? The friends are grasping for anything at this point in the game…go take your final picture in front of the chain link fence and let it end.

WHat amazes me is how people like “DebDupe” who is really Challenger can stand there and say they are not against the Theatre, when their track record shows different. They said they were against condos as part of RSC’s plan, yet they now say condo’s would be okay there—what? They say “As has been said time and time and time again, private dollars should drive historical preservation, not our TAX dollars.” yet they have no problem with the Village spending just under $200 MILLION TAX DOLLARS to build a PRIVATELY DFEVELOPED convention center. In addition, ALL tax dollars are going to be rebated to the facility for close to 30 years. That’s TAX MONEY taken out of the Village coffers! Why did the Village have to give a handout to private developers? Surely they could have offered low-interest loans, breaks on permit fees and variances and the like, but instead, they bankroll the Westin, helping to make them rich! This is all public information posted on many sites, including www.lombardtaxwatch.com which breaks it all down. WHen people try to suggest the Village apply the same logic they claimed to use for the Theatre for the convention center, they are personally attacked by those against the theatre project, and why is that? Because they know it pokes holes in their sketcjy reasoning!!!h

duper, you are wrong again, I am NOT against the theatre. I never said that. I have only questioned the friends tactics and strategies from day 1. They were headed in the wrong direction.

AND I am against tax $$ being used.

Not that any of this matters at this point since demolition is days away (maybe in middle of the night…quietly so as to not allow the supporters time to chain themselves to front door) but your analysis on the TIF scene is flawed.

When $9.5 million is the supposed tax collection and nearly all of it was being diverted to the theatre TIF until 2024, there was no victory for any other taxing body with the theatre plan. The only “winner” would have been the theatre. There is a huge difference in assessed and fair market value for a vacant parcel versus 86 condos, parking garage, and retail space.

And the Lincoln Square development and TIF/tax agreement was certainly part of the public discussion and the numbers were readily available for public scrutiny. As any action by our village board it is all public record. They were not cutting an under the table type deal as you have implied. When the deal makes sense and does not involved MILLIONS and MILLIONS in TIF and tax rebates like the RSC proposal, it goes through. Where was your outrage when the other TIF districts were discussed and ultimately approved?

TIF is not a bad thing…applied correctly it truly drives development for the public good in our downtown area. Applied incorrectly and it gets “PUBLICLY SCRUTINIZED,DISECTED, DEBATED and OPINIONATED” just as it did in the case of the theatre TIF.

But given that this site is dedicated to “Cinema Treasures” and NOT tax funding kindly take the TIF and tax discussions elsewhere.

I believe what was said (or meant) was that no PROPERTY TAX dollars from current residents would be used. Which is more than I could say about the library suggestion…

Again Deb Dup makes statements that are at the very least very mis-leading.
As the R.S.C.development proposal was presented , R.S.C.(the developer)
would PURCHASE the south properties and the retail property for development.Once this land is purchased it then ceases to be municipal property and becomes REAL PROPERTY and is put on the tax rolls as assessed real property.The condo and retail will pay realestate taxes on the assessed fair market value.Then the yearly tax incremented increases of those realestate taxes are what will be used for the theatre restoration.The original assessed fair market value of the REAL PROPERTY TAXES ARE STILL COLLECTED AND DISTRIBUTED.
As the village of Lombard and R.S.C. have stated,the estimated total
T.I.F. increment funds that will be generated by the condo and retail development from tax year 2007 through 2023 would be $9,588,734.00. The T.I.F. district extension has to have occured and the condo and retail completed by year 2007.
As I have previously stated the condo and retail development to the west of the theatre in the downtown T.I.F.was funded with T.I.F. INCREMENTED REBATES,sales tax and restaurant tax rebates to the developer for the total length of the T.I.F. district.Also the development was on MUNICIPAL PROPERTY as is the theatre property.
Unfortunately,NO PRO FORMA ANALYSIS of the development was brought forth or made public [uNLIKE all of the theatre proposals which have been PUBICLY SCRUTINIZED,DISECTED, DEBATED and OPINIONATED.]
As far as the $400,000.00 amount of T.I.F.funding rebated to a developer.That T.I.F.rebate of $400,000.00 is to a developer of property in an entirely different T.I.F. district.(St.Charles Rd. East)

If the building is in good condition, I believe it should be preserved, in some form or another. I don’t think that the preservation of this building must be as a theater, it could be a library, store, etc. If the interior is destroyed, then keep the facade and marquee. It just seems to me that people in this town has something against this theater.

Challenger and DebDupe, I never mentioned a Wal-Mart. I know that Wal-Mart requires a large site, and they prefer to build on the outskirts of town. I was think that most likely a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens would move on the site. I would have considered visiting Lombard, but what would be there for me to visit without the Dupage?

The theatre WAS NOT being compared to the convention center, THE LOGIC (or lack thereof) WAS. FOr example, you complain about how long the TIF will be used on the theatre, less than 20 years, look at what is stated anout the convention center…“The village is backing the project by pumping all food and beverage and hotel and motel taxes generated by the center into retiring the bonds taken out on the project.
The debt means the village will not own the hotel and restaurants outright until possibly 30 years down the road. ” 30 YEARS of taxes going into that project. That means things that use those TAX dollars like the Taste of Lombard, the Lilac Parade, all will suffer! Mean while, while he says the theatre, which would involve a private condo/retail development as well as a public use theatre is not a good use (remember “The fantasy is over” speech), he then says about the convention center…““I really think more thought should go into this,” Tross said. “This money is not for public good. It is not a partnership. It is a handout.” What does he want then?
**Here’s what’s going to happen folks. The theatre is going to be torn down with claims of a "new library”, which will go to referendum and FAIL miserably like most tax increase referendums do. After that, suddenly a developer will come in with plans to build a high-rise condo or office development, claiming a high-rise is the only way to get enough density out of it to make money, will have the bare minimum of parking spaces, claiming people will take the train as well. They will also ask for various variances which will be granted in the spirit of “it’s good for the Village”, citing the variances given to the Elmhurst Hospital building across the street. The developer will also ask for TIF funds to help with the project, maybe even extending it, since the condos at Grace and St. Charles did so to. I doubt I’m wrong on this one, folks.
I do find it funny that the folks that worked so hard to destroy the project are now talking about condos at that location. How ironic! While they claim less density, etc. how do they know what is too much? They mislead by talking about no taxes coming from the theatre, (and again mislead regarding TIF by claiming the condos won’t pay taxes either) but then they want a library there, which will be tax-free forever. I have even heard mention from a vengeful Trustee about wanting a park there-tell me how much sense THAT makes.
DebDupe, let me explain TIF so it makes sense. If you have a building that pays $100 a year in taxes and a TIF district is formed, the Village still gets the $100, then if the taxes go up $20 a year, the $20 goes to pay back the TIF. So in the theatre example, the condos will still pay taxes, which is more than what the property currently is doing or a library would…Get it? Besides, the theatre would not (until the Village turned down free money) have been all TIF, there was a big chunk of State and Federal money in there too!
Melders, you won’t see a BIG box there, probably a little one, since during the first RFP CVS Pharmacies submitted a proposal to put a store there. The ad-hoc committee had said they want to see the theatre reused, but CVS ignored the request and just wanted to level the buildings and build a store, possibly testing the waters for what is now happening…

When the current property is generating ZERO tax dollars, the incremental increase is ALL the property taxes that would have been diverted…nice try “Duper”. Development or redevelopment..it’s all the same really. “Redevelopment” could have included components of the theatre but we all know that is not going to happen since the “all or nothing” mentality persevered. There is also a huge difference in $400,000 in TIF for an 80 unit development and $6-8 million in TIF for a theatre with 86 units.

And “Melders”…you certainly won’t see a big box store take the Dupe site. It is less than three acres so certainly not big enough for a Wal-Mart or other large retailer. You will see a transit oriented mixed use development with retail and, yikes, maybe even more condos given that the Metra rail station is just steps away.

In response to Deb Dupe about property taxes being diverted for 18 years:the statement is mis-leading because what is being diverted is just the tax increment increase NOT ALL OF the property taxes.This same procedure was granted to a condo/retail developer just west of the theatre.
T.I.F.fund rebates and retail sales tax rebates and restaurant tax rebates were given to the developer for the life of the T.I.F. district.Again the issue is the same:T.I.F.increment funds from the condo and retail to pay a developer to develope the property.The increase in the property tax (increment only)that will be paid by the condo owners and the retail owners will go to the the developer.
I wish that Deb dupe would explain the difference (if any )between “DEMOLISH AND PREPARE THE SITE FOR DEVELOPMENT” and
“DEMOLISH AND PREPARE THE SITE FOR REDEVELOPMENT."
Deb Dupe say’s "you” friends always miscontrue the truth.
I challenge Deb Dupe to show me where and when I have miscontrued the TRUTH.
For the record, I have not mentioned one word about a convention center or any Yorktown development or any Yorktown redevelopment.