A modern rebirth
The once-seedy three-block section of Calumet City's State Line Road is now turning into a corridor for light industry, with a green twist
Neli Guevara puts cheese on pizzas at Doreen's Gourmet Pizza factory in Calumet City. Doreen's is one of the businesses to take advantage of the TIF district on State Street near State Line Road. Businesses like Doreen's are benefitting from affordable land and tax benefits. photo by Christopher smith | the times
Nail technician Lee Cy works on D. Pryor's nails at Devy Nails in Calumet City. The salon is one of several new businesses on State Street. photo by Christopher smith | the times
Jerry Genova looked up and down State Street in Calumet City where the old Sin Strip once stood and had a hard time getting his bearings.
"It's nice to be disoriented from 15 years ago and not know where the old strip clubs were because of the new development," the former mayor said. "What amazes me is the seedlings I planted are now full, mature trees."
Genova spearheaded the city's push to condemn buildings and homes along the old Sin Strip to make room for a tax increment financing district to attract new businesses to the city. The three-block strip once was known nationwide as "the Las Vegas of the Midwest," featuring nightclubs with big-name headliners and topless showgirls.
Over the years, the nightclubs turned to strip clubs, and Sin Strip was known for prostitution, drug dealing and homelessness.
Genova changed that, condemning the mostly vacant properties in the early 1990s and tearing them down. While he and the City Council envisioned a thriving business community there, the development was slow in coming.
"We were criticized for the vacant moon land," former 1st Ward Alderman and City Treasurer Michael Zimmerman said.
A lot sits empty at Douglas Avenue and State Street, the former home of the Zig-Zag Club. photo by Christopher smith | the times
"It's exciting"
Jim Gigliotti's family has a long history along the old strip.
The city's community and economic development director is the son of the late Dominick Gigliotti, a longtime city alderman who served as a manager at John's Pizza's carryout restaurant in Lansing. The elder Gigliotti grew up just off State Street, and his son remembers spending a lot of time at his grandmother's house there and at John's Pizza's flagship restaurant on the strip.
John Bacino, the one holdout who chose to keep his pizza restaurant on the strip after the other businesses came down, sold the restaurant in August 2007 to the Price family, who now operate it as Price's Soul Food restaurant.
"It was difficult, very difficult to leave what has been my whole life, my whole business life," he said. "My whole family worked there. It was time."
Since Gigliotti began his current role in late 2003, the TIF district has seen about $10 million in development at Kay Manufacturing, Meats by Linz, Doreen's Frozen Pizza, Khepra School of Massage and the strip mall at the corner of State Line Road and State Street.
"There's not a whole lot of land left," Gigliotti said. "Most of the parcels are accounted for."
Some small parcels on the south side of State Street are too small for the type of light industry that has dominated the district, Gigliotti said, but he has other ideas for those.
"It would be good for duplexes for offices," he said, adding that he is working on brining an office to a small lot next to Bob's Body Shop.
Where nightclubs once stood, light industry like Doreen's Gourmet Pizza has been calling State Street home. With an emphasis on eco-friendly practices, Doreen's is among a new class of State Street residents. photo by Christopher smith | the times
More businesses are filling the empty storefronts in the strip mall at the corner of State Street and State Line Avenue as well, Gigliotti said.
Zimmerman said the TIF district has been generating about $700,000 annually in property taxes for about the last eight years, when in the past no revenue was coming in.
The money generated now is being used for projects in the area, including constructing a road near Marble Street, Zimmerman said.
Gigliotti said the area south of Wendy's on State Line Road has been eyed by developers for residential properties, "but it kind of fell apart.
"Then the housing crunch came along," he said.
Now, Gigliotti is working with another developer to possibly bring green-certified construction to State Line Road.
"The city is very interested in that, as am I," he said. "It's good for the city, and it's good for the planet."
The owners of Doreen's Frozen Pizza also are dedicated to eco-friendly projects, Gigliotti said. Doreen's converted all of the company's vehicles to natural gas and are saving about a third of their former fuel costs, he said.
This summer, the business plans to add its own natural gas pumps to its property and is considering making them available to the public for sale.
"It is exciting to see such a modern project here," he said.
"We were right"
Genova said it's rewarding to see his vision for the rebirth of Sin Strip becoming a reality.
"The businesses I see are the ones I could foresee at the time," Genova said. "The corner with Wendy's and Popeye's and the mall is exactly what we wanted for State Line. ... It feels good, it does. I'm proud.
"I'm glad that the city is doing well with this endeavor. We just knew there was a high likelihood or probability that we'd succeed, but you just never know."
Zimmerman agreed.
"We were right, and Jerry Genova was right," he said.
