Returning the site to its previous zoning gives potential buyers greater clarity on what can be built there, increasing the chances of the government-owned property eventually returning to the tax rolls. A new skyscraper on the site could generate at least $20 million per year in new property taxes, since the state doesn’t pay property taxes.
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.