The community development commission Tuesday recommended the tax increment financing assistance, as well as the sale of three nearby parcels from the city once the department of planning and development strikes deals with the current owners. The money will help Blommer Chocolate Co. to expand under Union Pacific railroad tracks, which ends a half-mile away at Metra's Ogilvie Transportation Center, to help create a staging area for trucks. Besides moving trucks off DesPlaines Street, the redevelopment of Blommer Chocolate Co.'s campus also will result in shielding shipments of cocoa beans, often left outdoors, from the elements.

Blommer Chocolate is the largest cocoa bean processor in North America, according to the company, processing about 5% of the world's crop. The company serves the confectionery, baking or dairy industries.

The Kinzie Station multifamily development is just south of Blommer Chocolate Co.'s property. To the east, across the Metra tracks, is Kinzie Park Condos.

Construction of the project hinges on how successful the department of planning and development is in convincing owners of the surrounding properties, now used primarily as a parking lot, to sell. "We have begun installing equipment in our existing building," says Joseph Blommer of the family-owned company.

City officials note the tax increment financing will help keep 150 jobs on the Near West Side. In addition to Chicago, Blommer Chocolate Co. also operates plants in Union City, CA and East Greenville, PA. The company recently increased its East Greenville warehouse by 85,000 sf.