Chicago Flyhouse needed to do work on their facade, it was bowing out and was coming unattached to the building.  They also wanted to restore the building to how it looked before an earlier “fix”. In addition to the work they did on their facade, they did some permanent landscaping, installed a wrought iron fence, and did some Heating and Cooling work.  This project was in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor on the West Side of the City of Chicago.

Chicago Flyhouse Before SBIF

Chicago Flyhouse After SBIF

MDT Architects renovated the interior of their space to house their office.  They also wanted to showcase their architectural ideas in their own space.  They are located in the Wilson Yards SBIF District.

MDT Architects Interior Space before SBIF

MDT Space After SBIF

Debra Pernell, an insurance agent on the City’s South Side, completely renovated a storefront for her insurance agency.

Pernell Insurance Agency, before SBIF

Pernell Insurance Agency, after SBIF

The City of Chicago requires two bids for work that is to be completed with a SBIF Grant.

We are working on a list of contractors that have used the SBIF.  We hope to have this list ready by Friday, March 12, 2010.

Derek Walvoord, SBIF Director                    
P: 312.360.3319
F: 312.360.3333                     dwalvoord@somercor.com

Silvia Sanchez, Assistant Director       
P: 312.360.3334
F: 312.360.3333 ssanchez@somercor.com

John Paulun, SBIF Director               
P: 312.360.3305
F: 312.360.3333                          jpaulun@somercor.com

Kelly Collings, Assistant Director       
P: 312.360.3329
F: 312.360.3333 kcollings@somercor.com

111th Kedzie
119th & I57
119th Halsted
35th/Halsted
43rd Cottage Grove
47th King Drive
47th/Ashland
53rd St
63rd Pulaski
79th Street Corridor
87th Cottage Grove
Stony Island/Burnside
95th & Western
95th/Stony Island
Armitage/Pulaski
Austin Commercial
Avalon Park
Avondale
Belmont Central
Belmont Cicero
Bryn Mawr Broadway
Central West
Chicago Central Park
Chicago Kingsbury
Chinatown Basin
Cicero Archer
Clark Montrose
Clark Ridge
Commercial Ave
Devon Sheridan
Devon Western
Elston Armstrong
Fullerton Milwaukee
Galewood Armitage
Goose Island
Greater Southwest East
Greater Southwest West
Harlem Industrial
Hollywood Sheridan
Humboldt Park
Irving Cicero
Jefferson Park
Kinzie Industrial Corridor
Lawrence Broadway
Lawrence Kedzie
Lawrence Pulaski
Lincoln Ave
Madison Austin
Michigan Cermak
Midway Industrial
Midwest
Near West
North Branch North
North Branch South
North Cicero
Northwest Industrial Corridor
Peterson Pulaski
Pilsen Report
Portage Park
Pulaski Industrial
Ravenswood
River West
Roosevelt Jefferson
Roseland Michigan

Because of our agency relationship with the City of Chicago, SomerCor 504, Inc does not endorse any of these lenders, but has provided this list as a courtesy for applicants looking to finance their SBIF grant.  Please consult several lenders when you are looking for financing.

Micro Finance – Loans of up to $25,000

Accion Chicago, (312) 275-3000, www.accionchicago.org

Priscilla Cordero, Senior Loan Officer, (312) 275-3000 ext 104, info@accionchicago.org

Nitika Nautiyal Chauhan, Senior Loan Officer,  (312) 275-3000 ext 112, info@accionchicago.org

Non-Profit Lenders

Chicago Community Ventures (CCV), www.chiventures.org

Duane Wadlington, Loan Officer, dwadlington@chiventures.org, 312.960.0319

Bank Lenders

Banco Popular

Jan Goldstein, Business Banking Specialist, jgoldstein@bpop.com, (773) 205-3126

National City/PNC

Tom Bartkowski, Loan Officer, tom.bartkowski@nationalcity.com, (773) 358-8137

Harris Bank

Steven Lick, A.V.P and Branch Manager, steven.lick@harrisbank.com, (773) 384-8600 x 2222, 2196 N Elston Ave.

The SBIF program is funded with TIF (Tax Increment Financing) dollars, so we will look for  TIF districts with this tool.  All SBIF’s are TIF’s, but not all TIF’s are SBIF’s.  Your business must be in the City of Chicago to apply for the grant.

1. Go to the City’s Zoning tool website:  http://maps.cityofchicago.org/website/zoning/index.html

2.  When you get to the City of Chicago’s zoning page, click on the zoning map icon, and then click accept.  After accepting, a new window will open with the screen below. This is the mapping tool.  It may take a minute for the “data retrieving” to stop.

3. Click on the zoning tab on the upper right side of the screen, and then check the box next to “TIF’s”, as shown in the picture below.

4. Enter your address in the “Search by Address” field, or enter the cross streets into the “Search by Intersection” field.   Your desired address should come up on the map with a circle around it.  Go to the left side of the screen, and click the “Identify button”.  Green crosshatchings or lines on the map indicate TIF areas.  If you do not have the green cross hatching, you are most likely not in a TIF/SBIF. On the map below, you can see an area with the green “TIF” lines in the blue area, and an area without the green lines in the beige area.

5. Click on your address on the map.  The identify button does require pop-ups in order to work correctly.  You may need to adjust your internet settings to use this function.

(If you have pop-up difficulty, there are two ways to fix it.  There will either be a bar on the top of the screen that asks you if you want to allow the pop-ups or you can hold down the CTRL button when you click the identify tool.  Both of these should work, but there is a chance that you will have to re-enter your data.  If you still have problems, feel free to contact Somercor either by phone or email, and we will be happy to assist you.)

6.  After clicking on the Identify button and clicking on your address, you should see a pop-up window like the one shown below.

This pop-up window will include useful information such as:

TIF District, which we have circled in orange, the Ward and Alderman information, and sometimes whether you are in Empowerment Zones.

If this box does not include “TIF” as shown below, the address selected is NOT included in a TIF District.  If your property is right next to a TIF, but is not in a TIF, contact us and we will talk with the City to make sure that the boundary lines are drawn correctly.  Normally they are, but the map is not 100% accurate.

7.  Once you have verified that you are in a TIF District name, please verify that your address is also in a SBIF District.  The following list includes all the current SBIF areas. 

If you are currently in a TIF District that is not a SBIF, please contact your alderman (you can find their information by using the identify button)and let them know that you would like to have the SBIF program implemented in your TIF district.