Demystifying the State Street SSA and its Impact on 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 Buildings

By Amy Masters, 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 Director of Marketing and Communications

If you received email promotions over the summer for ACTivate networking events hosted by the Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA), 你可能想知道，什么是CLA? 这个小组是做什么的? Does the organization represent the State Street corridor, 整个中央商务区, 或两个?

你猜怎么着:你不是唯一感到困惑的人. So we thought it would help to provide some background about the CLA, especially in regard to its management of the State Street Special Service Area (SSA) and its impact on 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 buildings, and also explain how 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 and the CLA work together.

The CLA was founded in 2005 following a merger of the Central Michigan Avenue Association and the Greater State Street Council. While the CLA has traditionally focused much of its programming in the East Loop, the group occasionally hosts networking and educational events in other parts of the Loop as well. 包括企业在内，劳委会有250多名会员, organizations and individuals located within downtown Chicago.

Perhaps most important to 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 building members, the CLA manages the State Street SSA #1. An SSA is a local tax district that funds expanded services and programs (such as security, 景观 and cleaning) through an additional localized property tax levy within a specific area. Services paid for by SSA funds should be in addition to standard services already being provided by the City. The State Street SSA is the only SSA in the Loop and one of 54 SSAs in the City of Chicago.

An SSA is similar to a Business Improvement District (BID) used in other cities, with one major difference – a BID places control with the building owners and managers paying the levy to ensure the services provided add value to the buildings and are consistent with the owners’ needs and interests. 而不是, an SSA allows the Mayor to appoint commissioners to oversee and recommend the annual services, 向市政府提供预算和服务的机构. This means that building owners and managers in the State Street SSA have little say over the prioritization of services and selection of vendors, 包括费率和工作质量.

The State Street SSA was originally created in 1977.  A renewal enacted in 2015 continues the SSA until 2030. Boundaries for the area include property on both sides of State Street between Wacker Drive and Congress Parkway. 政府大楼不支付SSA, but do reap the benefits from the extra taxes paid by privately owned buildings.

The 2018 SSA agreement indicates the State Street SSA levy collected more than $2.2017年600万, 2018年拨款用于公共道路美学, 客户的吸引力, 经济/商业发展, 以及安全项目, 除了SSA的管理和人员. 2017年SSA税率为 .平均评估价值的309%, 这相当于每年近30美元的评估,一栋价值1000万美元的大楼. That tax levy appears as a distinct line item on the property tax bill of any taxable real estate within the SSA boundaries.

Property management teams have commended the CLA for their work to beautify the State Street corridor, 比如种植工人, 景观, 和CLA街头小队. Yet many buildings still rely on their own services, 包括除雪和电力清洗, 因为它们更快更可靠. Some property managers would like to see greater transparency and communication related to services, 成本和结果. Many feel the SSA places a disproportionate tax burden on office buildings, while mainly benefiting retail stores on the ground floor. Views from our building members also can differ based on building type: class A buildings take pride in the first-rate amenities and services they offer tenants, while class B and C buildings may appreciate the extra help the State Street SSA provides.

In 2014, 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 successfully opposed the CLA’s efforts to expand the SSA’s boundaries which would tax more buildings located outside of State Street, 包括远至怡安中心的建筑. Most buildings in the proposed expansion area resisted paying for services that wouldn’t directly benefit their building and tenants. Building members also remain confident they can provide many of the same services as the SSA that are better, 更快更便宜. While 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 values CLA’s efforts through its management of the SSA to beautify and promote the State Street corridor – a very unique retail area in the Loop – 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 will continue to oppose future expansion proposals and drive the debate about what is the best and fairest approach.

Despite a difference in opinion over the SSA expansion, 我们两个小组共享信息, 参加对方的活动, 定期见面. The CLA and 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 have a mutual interest in serving building members, enhancing security and promoting economic development within the Loop, and we look forward to working together in the years ahead.