Oak street council
Mailing Address
Razny Jewelers, 109 E Oak Street,
Chicago, IL 60611
phone
312-802-9290
gina.caruso@oakstreetchicago.com
Board Members
Anthony Ollmann (ISAIA Chicago): President
Robert Lopezl (Graff): Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer
Abigail Stockwell (Prada): Vice President
The Oak Street Council mission is to continuously create and nurture an environment in
which the retailers, restaurants, and hotels of our community thrive while molding this historic
area into an inviting atmosphere to live, stroll, shop, and dine.
The Oak Street Council is the sole service provider organization for the Oak Street SSA.
For more information about membership with the Oak Street Council, email us at
gina.caruso@oakstreetchicago.com
Oak Street SSA
Welcome to the most luxurious shopping destination in Chicago!
The City of Chicago contracts the Oak Street Council as the sole service
provider for Oak Street Special Service Area 75 (Oak Street SSA). As collective overseers of the Oak Street SSA, our goal is to preserve Chicago’s most unique world-class shopping district by maintaining the highest security level, beautifying pedestrian areas and streets, and supporting the world-renowned clothiers, jewelers, timepiece brands, and restaurants represented within our neighborhood.
SERVICES PROVIDED THROUGH OAK STREET SSA
Under the guidance of the Oak Street SSA Commission and administered by the Oak Street Council, our dedicated team of entrepreneurs and managers work unitedly to maintain our reputation as an inviting environment in which to live, shop, and dine. Services provided by the Oak Street SSA include:
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Security
Street-level security cameras that monitor our area; cooordination of security with City and County police
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Street Beautification
Elegant seasonal landscaping and sidewalk snow removal
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Holiday Decor
Design professionals who maintain street decorations during holiday seasons
Communications
Ongoing communications to SSA property owners, businesses, and the
public about the accomplishments and impact of the Oak Street SSA.
BOUNDARIES OF OAK STREET SSA
Oak Street SSA includes all property on both the north and south side of Oak
Street, between Rush Street and the area just west of Michigan Avenue.
CLICK HERE to view the SSA #75 Boundaries Map
OAK STREET SSA COMMISSION
The Oak Street SSA Commission is a public body comprised of property and business owners or their designees within the Oak Street SSA. Their role is to recommend the funding and services, act as the Sole Service Provider to the
City, and provide ongoing oversight of the SSA.
CLICK HERE to view commissioners, minutes, agendas, and meeting dates.
FUNDING FOR OAK STREET SSA
The Oak St SSA funds many special or additional services and/or physical improvements in the Oak St SSA district. The Oak St SSA Commission is charged with prioritizing services and improvements in the Oak St SSA and determining
an appropriate budget to fund the services. In an SSA, only the property owners that benefit from the improvements are assessed the additional tax that is used
to pay for the SSA services.
The budget is funded by the SSA tax levy and Carry Over of SSA tax levy. The tax rate cap for the Oak St SSA is 0.62% of Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) for the properties within the SSA. This means that, while the amount of taxes collected will vary from year to year based upon the tax rate necessary to meet budget needs, the tax rate can never exceed 0.62% of the properties’ EAV. The tax rate of the SSA is below the cap. In 2023, this translates into a budget of $468,245 (tax levy and carry over funds) to spend on projects, services, and improvements on Oak St. In 2022, the Oak St SSA is spending the programmatic portion of its budget as follows:
Customer Attraction: 18%
Public Way Aesthetics: 31%
Economic and Business Development: 1%
Safety Programs: 38%
Professional Management: 12%