Politics & Government
HUD Ends Fight with City over Evergreen Terrace Condemnation
The proposed settlement, which must be approved by a judge, will allow federal community development grant money to be restored to the city.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has agreed to settle its lawsuits with Joliet and is ending its opposition to the city's eminent domain case to purchase the Evergreen Terrace Apartments.
In a deal hammered out over several months this summer, HUD has promised to restore the city's annual $1.5 million Community Development and Block Grant funding and will reinstate the $4 million in grant money that's been withheld for the last two years, City Attorney Jeff Plyman told the Joliet City Council Monday.
The agency also will not stand in the city's way if it is successful in purchasing the crime-plagued apartment buildings, located near Bluff and Jefferson streets, and seeks to reduce occupancy from the current 356 units to 115, Plyman said.
HUD officials will help the city in relocating residents who receive federal housing subsidies, he said.
"In my opinion, this is a very fair settlement for the city," Plyman said.
The council approved the deal Monday night. It will be presented to the federal judge currently hearing the eminent domain case in Chicago.
Plyman stressed that the agreement does not mean the city's condemnation trial is over. The main parties in the lawsuit are the private owners of the apartment complex, Plyman said.
The city has been attempting to purchase the apartment buildings since 2001 and filed its condemnation suit in 2005. The eminent domain trial has been under way for more than a year and likely has many more months to go, Plyman said.
If the city should win, it could take a jury many more months to decide on a fair sale price, he added.
The federal opposition to the city's efforts stemmed from what officials perceived as Joliet's discrimination against low-income black residents, in violation of U.S. law. Plyman said he believed that months of testimony showed the city's motivation was not racial or discriminatory, but an effort to offer more control and a better quality of life for the people who live there.
HUD's decision to step away from the case after many months of testimony can only be seen as a plus for the city's case, he said. HUD's willingness to provide relocation and financial assistance and vouchers to renters receiving housing subsidies will be beneficial to the city's position, he said.
For the city's part -- assuming it wins the case -- Joliet has promised HUD it will to provide relocation help to any subsidized renter who wants to stay in Joliet and that a community center or daycare facility will be set up to benefit those Evergreen Terrace residents who remain, Plyman said.
The agency also will not stand in the city's way if it is successful in purchasing the crime-plagued apartment buildings, located near Bluff and Jefferson streets, and seeks to reduce occupancy from the current 356 units to 115, Plyman said.
HUD officials will help the city in relocating residents who receive federal housing subsidies, he said.
"In my opinion, this is a very fair settlement for the city," Plyman said.
The council approved the deal Monday night. It will be presented to the federal judge currently hearing the eminent domain case in Chicago.
Plyman stressed that the agreement does not mean the city's condemnation trial is over. The main parties in the lawsuit are the private owners of the apartment complex, Plyman said.
The city has been attempting to purchase the apartment buildings since 2001 and filed its condemnation suit in 2005. The eminent domain trial has been under way for more than a year and likely has many more months to go, Plyman said.
If the city should win, it could take a jury many more months to decide on a fair sale price, he added.
The federal opposition to the city's efforts stemmed from what officials perceived as Joliet's discrimination against low-income black residents, in violation of U.S. law. Plyman said he believed that months of testimony showed the city's motivation was not racial or discriminatory, but an effort to offer more control and a better quality of life for the people who live there.
HUD's decision to step away from the case after many months of testimony can only be seen as a plus for the city's case, he said. HUD's willingness to provide relocation and financial assistance and vouchers to renters receiving housing subsidies will be beneficial to the city's position, he said.
For the city's part -- assuming it wins the case -- Joliet has promised HUD it will to provide relocation help to any subsidized renter who wants to stay in Joliet and that a community center or daycare facility will be set up to benefit those Evergreen Terrace residents who remain, Plyman said.
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