Yorkville will work with a developer on the possible sale and renovation of the old Kendall County Jail in the city.
The city received two responses in March to its request for proposals for the sale and redevelopment of the historic structure at 111 W. Madison St.
Aldermen Tuesday night selected Peter McKnight of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Cary Coles of Chicago to discuss terms of a purchase and sale agreement for the 1893 building.
The negotiations will include some tax increment financing assistance from the city as well.
The developers have proposed a mixed-used redevelopment with 4,200 square feet of commercial space and five residential units. They have requested $306,000 in upfront tax increment financing assistance from the city with other potential investment over the next 20 years.
Aldermen did not commit to TIF assistance for the developer. Some members of the City Council and Mayor John Purcell objected to the amount of TIF assistance the developer requested.
Aldermen will get an update on the progress of the negotiations next month.
The other bid for the jail project was from the group Imperfect Angels. Its Executive Director Jetara Perry pitched a proposal to open a community resource center at the site to provide social support and guidance for youth, along with some commercial uses for the building.
Perry requested $250,000 in tax increment financing assistance from the city, with an initial $50,000 in assistance from the city to get started. She also requested assistance for the installation of a fire suppression system in the building and removal of hazardous materials.
Imperfect Angels was founded in 2016 and listed grants and sponsors as its financial supporters.
“I grew up in Aurora, so I have heard awesome things from police officers and others who understand your work,” Ald. Joel Frieders said.
Frieders said the proposal could probably work if the building did not need extensive renovation.
“My fear is that you are going to take this on and the work you are already doing is not only going to suffer, this is going to be tied to you personally,” Frieders said of the financial investment.
“I would not be standing in front of you today if I did not believe this can be accomplished,” Perry said.
The City Council in July was prepared to vote on a demolition bid to raze the old jail. However, preservation advocates made a plea to the city to save the historic structure.
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The estimated cost for full demolition last year was $40,000 to $80,000. Estimates to secure the jail from water seepage and demolish only the addition on the property ranged from $130,000 to $180,000, according to city documents.
Aldermen have objected to investing taxpayer dollars into a building that has not garnered much redevelopment interest from the private sector, despite previous requests for proposals.
“Going into this, my whole opinion has been that we are going to cap our involvement at $78,000. I think tearing it down is still the smartest thing to do,” Frieders said.
Purcell wanted some assurance that the immediate need for roof repairs on the structure would be done.
“I thought the whole purpose was for the city to sell the building so it’s no longer an issue,” Ald. Joe Plocher said.
Purcell, however, said he doesn’t “think it’s unreasonable to (identify) some of the concerns we have” with the building.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.