BY DAVE PARRO
The president of Sho-deen Inc. brought Aurora aldermen some good news Tuesday, telling them that he expects the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to sign off on his EastBank project next year. But he also talked about one of the biggest stumbling blocks for the massive condominium development: an electric substation.
David Patzelt wouldn't talk about ongoing negotiations with ComEd, but the utility company's executives told The Beacon News editorial board in September that the developer wants ComEd to pick up much of the $12 million to $13 million cost of moving the substation. President Barry Mitchell stressed that ComEd has a responsibility as a public utility to keep costs down for consumers, and that means pursuing the cheapest option when it comes to infrastructure. In this case, that means leaving an operating substation right where it is.
Bottom line: It's not ComEd's responsibility to make sure Sho-deen's condos get built.
Patzelt told the City Council the project will not proceed if an agreement to move the substation cannot be reached. "We will not sell condominiums that look at a substation," he told aldermen.
So Kent Shodeen comes to town, wows everyone with a $600 million development proposal, gets the city to pitch in $3.5 million and counting for environmental cleanup, and now he wants ComEd to pay to move the substation? And he's just going to walk away if that doesn't happen?
Moving the substation on the north end of the Sho-deen property seems like the cost of doing business, and it should have been an expected expense. It's not like it just sprang up overnight. Mitchell said ComEd is willing to move the substation, but the company won't be footing the bill.
The developer needs to stop making not-so-subtle threats about pulling out and realize that he's asking for too much. The city has already bent over backward to accommodate him because his project will help transform downtown. ComEd has no such stake and shouldn't be expected to do likewise.
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