A dilapidated section of Howard Street could begin to see revitalization efforts in the next few months if city officials approve the area as a district entitled to special development.

Outside developing firm Kane McKenna and Associates of Chicago recently found that the section of Howard between Ridge Avenue and the Metra tracks qualified as a tax-increment financing district. A TIF district allows the city to commit funds up front to improvements in a blighted area, letting the tax revenue generated from those improvements pay back the city over time.

But no action can be taken without approval from Evanston City Council, whose deliberations on the issues would be “fairly extensive,” City Manager Roger Crum said.

Although city officials seem to favor the proposed TIF district, Crum said the City Council is still months away from a green light.

A TIF district cannot be created unless it meets certain state requirements, which is why the city brought in Kane McKenna.

“The TIF has probably been the most successful and most useful tool in development,” said Dennis Marino, assistant director of planning for the Evanston Economic Development Committee.

Evanston has created four TIF districts in its history, including another on Howard and one where Century Theatres and Church Street Plaza are located. There were a high number of vacancies in downtown in the early 1990s, Marino said, and TIF districts helped spur revitalization.

City officials could not say how much revenue the proposed TIF district might generate for Evanston.

While the goal of TIF districts is development, the city must also ensure that investment in these areas will return enough tax revenue.

“The question you have to ask is are (TIF districts) feasible in terms of real-estate development,” Marino said.

In response to this, city officials hope to bring more stable retail to that section of Howard.

“The retail there now is a sort of transient retail,” said James Wolinski, director of Evanston Community Development. “The city is looking for something more solid … like restaurants, cleaners and grocery stores.”

It is important to find retailers who won’t let their property become run down, Wolinski said, but this could prove difficult because of the lack of stability in the area.

Evanston resident Vito Brugliera agreed.

“It’s hard to draw what (the city) would consider good retail,” Brugliera said. “You need a few pioneers to make it chic, but these pioneers are hard to find.”

Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) declined to comment on the proposed TIF district, which would be located in her ward.

But Brugliera said, “You’ve got to admire Ann for trying to get rid of those shoddy shops.”

Despite the positive impacts a TIF district can bring to a run-down area, some issues remain.

The revenue generated by businesses in a TIF district would only be used to pay off the start-up costs of the area. Usually that money would go to other bodies, such as school districts.

And while the goal of attracting more stable businesses is important for the proposed TIF district, Ald. Steven Bernstein (4th) said that is not enough to clean up a run-down area. He said more concerted efforts between Evanston and Chicago also are necessary to keep down crime.

“We’ve built a new police station, but we have to involve the city of Chicago in our efforts,” Bernstein said.

Bringing in more moderately priced homes and condominiums is another goal for improvement, Bernstein said. The city hopes to redevelop some dilapidated condominiums to create more affordable housing for Evanston residents.

Bernstein, however, reiterated the need for the proposed TIF.

He said, “This area is doing very little good for anything right now.”