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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: David Dibo, Executive Director
DATE: March 9, 2021
SUBJECT:
A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a First Amendment to the Redevelopment Agreement Previously Entered into Between the City of Aurora and Bernie Laskowski/Craft Urban.
PURPOSE:
To modify certain provisions of the previously approved RDA to allow construction to begin immediately and enable the owner/restaurateur Bernie Laskowski to draw from the previously approved $600,000 loan.
BACKGROUND:
There were two Council actions that are material to this amendment. The first is resolution R19-421 on December 30, 2019 provided for the City's purchase of the adjacent vacant lot (I W Downer Place) and a commitment to fund up to $600,000 in a renovation/construction loan subject to terms to be spelled out in a subsequent RDA and the second with resolution R20-077 on April 1, 2020 that formalized mutual understandings and commitments between Mr. Laskowski and the City.
The pandemic had a direct impact of the timing laid out in the timeline attached to the original RDA. In addition, after purchasing the building in December of 2019, Mr. Laskowski and his team re-evaluated certain aspects within the restaurant that led to a decision to replace three planned upstairs apartments with additional function and restaurant space. A number of meetings with the development services team under the guidance of John Curley occurred that vetted the proposed modified plan. The result is that building permits are about to be issued.
Since the RDA was approved, the City has determined that having all if its monetary advances go through a title company is a more efficient best practice. As such, the City has agreed to an arrangement with Chicago Title that will enable the city to retain the protections of sign offs by John Curley and Marty Lyons while ensuring that lien waivers and other third-party protections are in place.
John Curley has approved the first $50,000 advan...
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