11/04/2026
𝐀𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐰𝐚'𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞!
The City of Ottawa is applying for a new incentive zone to help attract commercial development and tourist attractions. You may have heard some excitement and conversation throughout our community about Ottawa's potential STAR Bond District Application, and I'd like to share some information about where we are in the process and what it could mean for our city.
STAR Bonds are an economic development funding tool provided by the State of Illinois to encourage new retail and tourism development. The application process is competitive, and Ottawa was one of four communities in our economic zone to initially submit a request to apply. That field has now narrowed to just three communities.
We're very encouraged by Ottawa's position in the process! We already have received letters of interest from developers representing more than a dozen different retail stores, along with letters from property owners interested in making these developments possible. This is significant progress, and it gives us a great deal of confidence in our application.
Most of you have heard about some of the ambitious projects we're working towards, including a waterfront amphitheater and surrounding development, a large-scale regional sports complex designed to attract visitors and tournaments from throughout the Midwest, along with important public infrastructure and park improvements.
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰: 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐓𝐚𝐱. Instead, they provide an opportunity to use the State of Illinois' portion of sales tax generated withing the district to help fund eligible projects right here in Ottawa. These are tax dollars that would otherwise go to Springfield.
That means we could make significant investments in our community without using our existing city revenues, without increasing property taxes to pay for projects, and without taking away the local sales tax dollars we already depend on to provide city services. In fact, the additional economic activity and development could ultimately help ease the property tax burden of our residents. It's an opportunity to accomplish things that would otherwise take many years or simply be financially out of reach for our community.
𝐒𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬?
The upcoming public hearing to establish a STAR Bond District is one of several required steps in the State's application process. We voted at last night's council meeting to hold that hearing. It does not mean the district has been awarded or that any of the proposed developments have received final approval.
We anticipate learning whether Ottawa has been awarded a STAR Bond District by the end of the first quarter of 2027. If successful, we would then move forward with submitting our proposed development projects for the State's consideration.
There is still a great deal of work to be done, and there are certainly no guarantees in a competitive process like this. But the interest we've already received from developers, retailers, and property owners gives us good reason to be optimistic.
I'm excited about the possibilities, and I want our residents to be informed as we continue moving through the process.
I look forward to sharing more as we move forward!
