Jun 20, 2008

Grant Park - It gets better and better

An excellent blog post over here points out the following facts:

Mayor Daley and the City Council recently approved a $277 million increase in property taxes and fees. Meanwhile, taxpayer subsidies for Children’s Museum at Allstate Place include:

  • $51 Million – Value of the 1.75 acres of parkland the museum will control
  • $99 Million – Taxpayer subsidies from the Museums in the Park Fund
  • $36 Million – Replacement cost of 400 demolished parking garage spaces
  • $353 Million – Value of free rent in Grant Park

It gets MUCH better:

The museum’s agreement with the park district allows them to transfer their 99-year lease to another private corporation without any oversight from the City Council. What does that mean?

“The inclusion of a liquor license in their zoning application means that this could be a 100,000 square foot restaurant and mini-mall just in time for the 2016 Olympics.”

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