Joliet City Council wary of Tony’s sidewalk deal

The Joliet City Council this week delayed a vote on $183,000 in sidewalk repairs outside of the new Tony’s Fresh Market store, questioning whether the city should pay it all while residents share half the costs of sidewalk repairs.

Council members tabled a vote on the sidewalk contract until city staff could verify whether sidewalk repairs were part of a package that included $3.5 million in tax incentives to draw Tony’s to the location.

“If they want them repaired, they should pay for it or get in line with the rest of the residents,” Councilman Pat Mudron said at the council meeting on Tuesday.

City Manager James Capparelli urged approval of the expenditure, saying it is part of a financial incentive used to get Tony’s to redevelop a shuttered Kmart at the corner of Jefferson Street and Larkin Avenue.

“It’s clearly part of the development agreement,” Capparelli told the council.

However, he acknowledged when questioned by the council, that he did not know if the sidewalk repairs were put in writing or were promised orally at a time when Tony’s commitment to the project seemed “shaky.”

The Tony’s deal would not be a first. Public Works Director Greg Ruddy told a council committee in October that the city at times has paid the full cost of sidewalk repairs in front of businesses on major streets. Businesses also have been required to pay full cost at times, he said.

The Tony’s project is generally viewed as a success for the city, putting a popular supermarket at one of the city’s busiest intersections and at a spot that had become shabby since Kmart closed in late 2016. Tony’s is redeveloping the property beyond its own store, trying to attract other businesses to the site. And, the White Castle restaurant on the corner has gone through a renovation since the Tony’s store opened in June.

Capparelli said the Tony’s project has sparked new interest in other commercial sites along Jefferson Street.

“We’re drawing people to Jefferson Street. This is part of that,” he said.

Council members did not dispute the value of the Tony’s project but appeared concerned how the deal would be viewed by residents who have to pay for half the costs of sidewalk repairs in front of their houses.

“What do residents say?” Councilman Joe Clement said. “They pay 50-50, and then we’re going to pay $183,000.”

The council would have to amend its budget for the sidewalk repair outside Tony’s since the $183,000 was not included in the 2022 budget.

“At this point,” Clement said, “I think we need to know if it’s in the agreement or not.”

Capparelli said Tony’s was “getting shaky on us for awhile” and wanted sidewalk repairs added to the deal with the city.

“I know representations were made to them that we would pay for the sidewalk,” he told the council.