Selling Chicago. Good, bad or a necessary evil?

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To sell or not to sell off city assets? That’s a big question around these parts. A previous post about private business sponsoring CTA el stations, elicited a question from fellow True/Slant contributor Megan Cottrell that’s got me thinking.

I don’t mind seeing Apple’s advertisements at the El, as long as the fare doesn’t go up, like the parking meters did. And as long as we’re getting a fair deal for what we’re selling (also like the parking meters).

Is it a good idea for us to do stuff like this? Or is there a scary downside that I’m not seeing?

The short answer is it’s both a good idea and very dangerous.

There’s plenty of scary downside to inviting corporate sponsorship, but there are also some distinctions I think are important. Selling off city assets like parking and roadways is a serious betrayal of public trust. This is critical infrastructure and by “leasing” it, we forfeit not just the revenue, but the ability to maintain or change important components of our city. Supporting, managing and improving city property is the job of government. Period.

Sponsorship is different.

Getting corporations to sponsor el stops strikes me as an extension of the advertising and marketing already in place on the CTA. We also get companies to “adopt” portions of state or federal highways. They get to put up a sign with their name, but pay into a fund for beautification. It’s a win win.

In this particular case, resident’s of Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood (where I live) started a letter writing campaign to Target Corp., asking the retailer to sponsor the rehabilitation of Wilson Red Line stop. Target is building a store adjacent to the existing station on the former Wilson Yard property. A controversial development that gets its funds directly from real estate taxes in the area.

This Target store is getting a substantial subsidy from the Wilson Yard TIF. The original plan for that site included a renovation of the el stop, reconfiguring it with an entrance into the development. But that plan also included movie theaters, a restaurant and other retail in addition to Target. Since then, the movie theaters have fallen out and there’s no mention of a restaurant or other businesses. And in this economic climate, there’s  not much faith there will be any for a good long time.

What’s left is a Target store, an Aldi and lots of housing for seniors and low-income residences. The Wilson Yard TIF has been expanded to accommodate increased construction costs and the denial of local and federal funds to build the housing since it fails to meet contemporary standards for low-income residents. There’s no money allocated for the CTA, so residents launched a letter writing campaign to sponsor the station.

On the one hand, this makes great sense. Apple is sponsoring the North and Clybourn station near an upcoming store. The Cubs have managed the Addison stop fairly well. So why not ask Target to help renovate a crumbling, urine soaked and often dangerous stop?

The Wilson Yard is former CTA property that was sold to a private developer via the city for less than market value during the real estate boom. Target is already taking tax money that could otherwise be allocated to the CTA to build the store. Sponsoring the el stop makes sense, but it’s also a slippery slope. The city of Chicago has diverted funds from maintaining its infrastructure by selling off parts of it, in this case to Target, shifting the maintenance from the public to private sector.

It’s a dilemma to be sure. Target or Apple sponsoring an el stop makes sense on its own. But the big picture is bleaker and another example of Chicago’s great financial shell game.