Save Los Cazadores Mexican Restaurant

To: The Honorable Members of the Board of Trustees of Oak Park,Illinois

Please accept the Bid that was submitted by the Garcia Family for the repurchase of 1113 w. lake street Oak Park Illinois 60301.

Approximately five or more years ago the village of Oak Park was enthusiastically pursuing the redevelopment of the area known as the Down Town District of Oak Park. Which Borders Forest Avenue in the east, Ontario Street in the north, North Boulevard in the South, and Harlem Avenue in the west. In their quest to fulfill this endeavor they approached many Property Owners of the said district and offered to buy their property. Nevertheless, the residents of the village of Oak Park were not enthusiastic about the redevelopment program including some business /property owners. Even though, a good portion of the residents were not in favor of redevelopment the village continued in their quest to redevelop Down Town Oak Park by buying large parcels of property within the Downtown District.

During this stage of affairs the village bought a particular property that was owned by the Garcia family. The Garcia family bought and renovated the building located at 1113 w. Lake Street in 1999. Subsequently, designed and opened Los Cazadores Mexican Restaurant in February 2000. This was and continues to be a Traditional family owned business that complemented the Down Town Business District. In 2003 the village approached Fidel Garcia and offered to buy his building. Fidel was not interested in selling because according to him this was the best business endeavor in his entire life. Los Cazadores won two forks in the Chicago tribune restaurant review and the residents of Oak Park were very happy with the taste of our cuisine.
However, persistently the village continued to accost Fidel Garcia with subtle suggestions to pressure him to sell the property. The pressure continued intensely that Fidel finely relented and allowed negotiations with the village to commence. In these negotiations the village promised Fidel Garcia that

1. That they would be the exclusive occupant of the property until the day that the bulldozer begins demolition.
2. The fee for the occupancy of the property would never rise above the amount the Garcia family paid their bank for mortgage.
3. If and when the demolition commenced the Garcia family would be allowed to strip the building of all its furniture and equipment to open somewhere else.
4. In case the redevelopment did not become a reality the building would be sold back to the Garcia family for the same amount it was sold to the village, as long as it was still occupied by the Garcia family.

In June 2008 the village put the building 1113 w lake street currently occupied by the Garcia family on public bid, forgoing any promises made to Fidel Garcia and family. Forcefully the gracias bid on the building knowing well in advance that it could not compete with deep pocket speculators looking for buildings to flip for a profit.

We ask the signers of this petition to request and encourage the board of trustees of the village of Oak Park to accept the Garcia familys bid instead of the speculators bid. The Garcias bid may be lower but the benefits the community would gain would outweigh the deed.