Homewood joins land bank to address vacant buildings

When Bogart’s Charhouse ceased operations at 18225 Dixie Highway a few years ago, it created a significant hole in Homewood’s downtown commercial landscape, and a tangle of red tape has thwarted efforts to redevelop the site.

But Homewood has a new tool for dealing with impediments to development that could get Bogart’s and similar vacant properties back on the market faster. In August, the Homewood Board of Trustees voted to join the South Suburban Land Bank and Development Authority (SSLBDA), a quasi-governmental organization that specializes in obtaining and redeveloping problem properties…Please click here to read Eric Crump’s story in the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle.