Suburban Group To Rally In Opposition Of Homewood Redevelopment

HOMEWOOD, IL — The South Suburbs for Greenspace Over Concrete (SSGOC) is holding a "Hear Our Voices" rally outside the Homewood Village Hall at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, and is sponsoring an event called "TIF 101" on Wednesday, in response to Homewood’s rezoning and TIF district creation for the property formerly known as Calumet Country Club.

The group said the rally is an opportunity for those opposed to the development to "informally object to the hurried process" of the current plan. The rally is taking place just 30 minutes before the Homewood Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m.

According to SSGOC, the “TIF 101” event is an educational opportunity that will inform the public on how tax increment financing works, specifically, TIFs in Homewood. The event is free and open to the public, hosted by Tom Tresser from CivicLab — a nonprofit, civic engagement "do-tank". It will take place from 7-9 p.m. and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, SSGOC said.

A fact sheet about TIFs and the proposed new TIF at the former Calumet Country Club property will be available to anyone who attends, the group said.

SSGOC said it believes the processes to rezone the land and create the TIF are being "rushed through the public view, during a pandemic, when the existence of open meetings is being pushed to the limit."

In January, the Homewood Village Board voted 6-0 to approve the controversial rezoning and TIF creation that settles pending litigation between W & E Ventures, LLC (Diversified Partners) and the Village, to disconnect the former country club from Homewood.

SSGOC, the multi-racial group of residents from Homewood, Hazel Crest and other nearby towns, are pushing to stop the redevelopment. The group has attended multiple Planning and Zoning Commission meetings, giving public comment as to why they believe the development of the former county club into a possible industrial park wouldn't be beneficial for those living around the area.

The group will be attending another session of the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Thursday at 1 p.m. SSGOC says the timing of the meeting will prevent many residents from attending and asking more questions, saying "voices are being shut out of this process."

Meetings can be accessed via Zoom, and the joining information can be found on the Village's website, here.

Related:

Homewood Group To Stop Calumet Country Club Redevelopment | Homewood, IL Patch

Hazel Crest Opposes Calumet Country Club Industrial Park Plan | Homewood, IL Patch

Hazel Crest Mayoral Candidate Opposes Calumet Country Club Change | Homewood, IL Patch