Excellence in Urban or Suburban Economic Development: Tinley Park Builds on 35-Year Plan for Success

by Ivan Baker, CEcD, Director of Economic Development, Village of Tinley Park

How does a metro Chicago community of 57,000 achieve national recognition for economic development? The suburb of Tinley Park, located 25 miles from Chicago’s downtown loop, earned this honor through extraordinary leadership and sound planning. Tinley Park’s consistent approach to economic development includes five key elements: planning for economic diversity; promoting strong leadership; insisting on quality development; broadening the tax base; and demanding financial accountability.

Settled in 1845 as a farming and railroad community, the Village of Tinley Park today is one of the top 20 employment centers in the metro Chicago region and a prime example of diverse suburban economic development. In the early years, the community’s business growth came primarily from innovative egg production methods, manufacturing (washing machines, butter churns, and Ironite waterproof cement) and varied retail. The railroad is still important, with 46 daily commuter trains plus freight train service. But the farming is gone and the primary manufacturers now produce satellite navigation systems, network wiring, fiber cable, electronic circuit boards, putty, brooms, automotive components, plastic molds and coffee products. In addition, a range of other industries now call Tinley Park home.

Good leaders stick to a good plan

For decades, Tinley Park residents have elected leaders that promote good policy instead of playing politics. Elected officials – with an average tenure of over 15 years – have followed an aggressive economic development plan that originated in 1971 and has been updated regularly ever since. The result is a commitment to a strong and sustainable economic development program that is coordinated by the local government.

Village Trustee Patrick Rea, with a nationally recognized background of corporate banking and economics, has led the village’s Finance and Economic Development Committee for over 35 years. Mayor Ed Zabrocki, who has been in office for 25 years, recently was selected as one of 10 U.S. mayors honored as a finalist for the World Mayor award. Much of the basis behind Tinley Park’s diverse economy, low property tax rates and excellent credit rating can be attributed to their team-oriented leadership and the efforts of a progressive Board of Trustees.

This consistency in leadership extends to Tinley Park’s tax policy. The village has not increased its tax rate in 35 years and has a credit rating in the top 8 percent in the nation. In addition, Tinley Park has provided some level of tax abatement to both homeowners and business owners every year for over 25 years – significantly adding to its attractiveness as a place to live, work, and operate a business.

Goals and programs

The primary goal of Tinley Park Economic Development is to expand the tax base for the benefit of all of our citizens, property owners and employers.While many of the 267 cities in metropolitan Chicago are either bedroom communities or dependent on one economic sector, Tinley Park has attracted and supported a diverse range of industries, including manufacturing, health care, office, education, distribution, retail, service, transportation, communications, entertainment and hospitality.

In addition to a commitment to economic diversity, Tinley Park has more specific goals that include encouraging the location of more corporate headquarters; helping existing businesses expand; ensuring responsiveness to developers and business owners; and promoting increased mixed-use investment as part of downtown redevelopment. Some of the programs in place to achieve these goals include:

• Linked deposit/interest buy-down programs to aid banks in serving local businesses;
• Promotions that encourage businesses to use SBA and state financial assistance programs;
• Marketing assistance to promote the development of local real estate;
• Façade matching-grant programs to encourage building rehabilitation; and
• Incentive programs tied to business performance and specified guidelines for capital investment, property enhancement, jobs creation and tax revenue.

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