Mayor Rick Chapman delivered his State of the Village Address Tuesday, March 27, in front of a crowd of business professionals, elected officials and Village staff members.
“I can tell you an evolution has occurred, here, that is something that everybody who lives in the Village of Shorewood should be proud of,” he said. “The evolution has been well-planned, defined-first and well-executed. I’d like to say that I feel very proud to have been a part of that.”
Since the mayor’s last State of the Village address, Shorewood has added 36 new businesses, built 78 new homes and allowed 2,059 remodeling permits.
Mayor Chapman noted that Village is committed to ensuring that its place where people can live, stay and invest. There are several new businesses in town that include Will County Brewing Company, Alden Courts of Shorewood and Which Wich.
Other developments scheduled to come on line soon are Chicken ‘N’ Spice and LaQuinta Inn.
“We’re strong in looking at the region and preparing for the future,” he said.
Chapman said it’s important for people to realize that municipalities have to get creative, if they intend to bring in new developments.
Shorewood currently has one active economic development agreement with Trans Chicago set to expire in seven years. The environment is right to bring future businesses to town, according to the mayor.
The Village last year adopted a tax increment finance district for its Route 52 and Route 59 corridor.
Redevelopment in the older areas of Shorewood is a priority for the Village. Chapman said he looks forward to see how the added taxes will help those parts of town. The tax increment finance district has not generated any revenue for the Village to use, to date.
“It takes a while to build funds into those things, but you can always use future funds that you know you’re going to get,” Chapman said.
Chapman said he is committed to seeing these projects through.
The mayor took time to thank the local businesses for making Shorewood a thriving place of growth.
“You are the lifeblood of the community,” he said.