Pilsen plaintiffs won a victory in Cook County Circuit Court yesterday when Judge Foreman permanently enjoined money generated from the Pilsen TIF from being transferred to the neighboring Roosevelt-Union TIF. The City denies that they intended to use Pilsen money to fund luxury housing in UIC's South Campus Expansion project. In 1997, however, a UIC spokesperson went on record saying they expected funding from Pilsen.

Marlene Kamish, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, succeeded in forcing the City to admit in court that their legal description of the Roosevelt-Union TIF was invalid. During the Pilsen TIF hearings, City officials stated that the two TIF's were not contiguous at least seven separate times. According to the legal description of the Roosevelt-Union TIF, however, not only is it contigious with Pilsen, but there is a small section which has no boundaries at all.

"If you don't have boundaries you've essentially failed," Kamish said this morning. "By definition a TIF is a specific area which has too be defined by boundaries. Failing to properly define the area makes the legal description invalid."

Jennifer Hoyle, spokeswoman for the city Law Department, was quoted in the Chicago Tribune (9/28/99) as saying the city legal department intends to correct the legal description of the Roosevelt Union TIF.

The failure of the legal description makes the entire Roosevelt-Union TIF vulnerable to legal challenge.

Steve Balkin told reporters that the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition intends to file a lawsuit against the city.

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