Hy-Vee Corp. has exercised its option to buy the former Kmart building, an abandoned bowling alley and a payday loan store on MacArthur Boulevard in order to build a supermarket and convenience store.

Company spokeswoman Ruth Comer said Friday the Iowa-based retailer would like to begin construction as soon as possible, pending city action on creation of a tax-increment financing district along the boulevard. “We did close on the three properties we were looking at,” said Comer. “We’ll be watching closely what the city does with the TIF, as it will figure into our plans.”

“It’s a huge victory for the boulevard and the neighborhoods,” said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin. “It means we’re eliminating a major eyesore on the boulevard.”

The public hearing on the TIF is scheduled for noon Monday at the Office of Planning & Economic Development in Municipal Center East, 800 E. Monroe St. McMenamin said there will be a 14-day waiting period between the hearing and city council action.

Increased property tax revenue from development would help pay for other improvements within the TIF.

Read the full story at sj-r.com…

Hy-Vee Corp. has exercised its option to buy the former Kmart building, an abandoned bowling alley and a payday loan store on MacArthur Boulevard in order to build a supermarket and convenience store.

Company spokeswoman Ruth Comer said Friday the Iowa-based retailer would like to begin construction as soon as possible, pending city action on creation of a tax-increment financing district along the boulevard. “We did close on the three properties we were looking at,” said Comer. “We’ll be watching closely what the city does with the TIF, as it will figure into our plans.”

“It’s a huge victory for the boulevard and the neighborhoods,” said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin. “It means we’re eliminating a major eyesore on the boulevard.”

The public hearing on the TIF is scheduled for noon Monday at the Office of Planning & Economic Development in Municipal Center East, 800 E. Monroe St. McMenamin said there will be a 14-day waiting period between the hearing and city council action.

Increased property tax revenue from development would help pay for other improvements within the TIF.

Read the full story at sj-r.com…

By Bruce Rushton

A milestone was quietly reached Dec. 5 with a certificate of occupancy granted by the city of Springfield for one of seven four-plexes placarded last August in a  housing inspection blitz at the MacArthur Park apartment complex.

It was the first instance of the city allowing tenants to live inside apartments shut down four months ago at the complex that sits between MacArthur Boulevard and the village of Jerome, not far from Wabash Avenue.

“They are making some progress,” says John Sadowski, Springfield building department manager.

But dozens of apartments remain placarded, and progress isn’t fast enough for Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who has asked the Springfield Housing Authority to stop issuing Section 8 housing vouchers for MacArthur Park. The housing authority is considering the idea, but hasn’t given a firm answer.

“We are reviewing it,” says Jackie Newman, housing authority executive director. “Our goal is, certainly, to provide quality, affordable housing.”  Newman says that she has a relative living at MacArthur Park and that her staff is studying federal regulations to determine whether a moratorium on Section 8 vouchers for the complex would be legal. McMenamin, however, sounded optimistic after a Dec. 8 meeting with Newman and other housing authority officials.

“They have this authority and leverage, and they intend to use it,” McMenamin said. “It’s, potentially, a massive hammer.”

About 60 apartments in the 188-unit complex are occupied by tenants who have Section 8 vouchers, Newman said. Clients with Section 8 vouchers can use them anywhere, but Section 8 housing must pass muster with housing authority inspectors who have approved units in MacArthur Park.

The city can foreclose on buildings and demolish them if code violations persist for three years, but that won’t happen at MacArthur Park, according to Don Craven, attorney for Granite Investment Company, the company that owns the complex. But fixing things can’t happen overnight.  “There’s only so much work that so many people can do at one time,” Craven said.

Forty-two apartments in the complex remain placarded after being declared unfit for human habitation during city inspections in August, September and October. Problems range from electrical hazards to holes in walls to roach infestations to no plumbing or utilities, according to inspection reports.

More than half of the complex, which includes nearly four dozen four-unit townhouses, has not been inspected by the city since Mayor Mike Houston last summer launched a get-tough program to deal with problem properties.  The city has been inspecting four-plexes in batches every four to six weeks, and inspectors keep finding problems.

An entire four-plex was placarded in September, along with six apartments in other four-plexes. Eight more apartments were placarded in October. And there are plenty of problems that aren’t serious enough to force closure – McMenamin counts 1,400 violations found at the complex. There could be additional violations in four-plexes where inspectors skipped some apartments. In some cases, inspectors didn’t visit apartments because no one was home, according to inspection records. In other cases, Sadowski said, tenants refused to allow inspectors inside.  Sadowski said the city would need search warrants to inspect apartments where tenants have refused entry.  “That’s something we need to think about, whether we need to do that,” Sadowski said.

Cliff Buscher, deputy chief of the Springfield Police Department, says that officers have been called to MacArthur Park 160 times, mostly for “disturbances,” since Aug. 5, when the city launched its inspection program at the complex.

Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe said that MacArthur Park is a hurdle to redevelopment of the business district along nearby MacArthur Boulevard, where the city plans to create a tax increment finance district.

“When someone talks about the area, they talk about MacArthur Park apartments,” Jobe said. “It does affect the overall perception.”

Read the full story at IllinoisTimes.com…

Ward 7 Update from Alderman McMenamin November 2011

Download update as PDf…

Highlights

Hy-Vee: The Future

The Hy-Vee planning and zoning process continues with all positives so far.
Hy-Vee’s zoning case next goes to the City Council December 20, 2011 for approval.
On Oct 6, I brought Hy-Vee officials in to see Mayor Houston. The Mayor and his administration have been extraordinarily helpful.

MacArthur Boulevard Tax Increment Financing District – TIF

The City Council adopted the first of several resolutions and ordinances in September 2011 to establish the “Mac” TIF. On Nov 18, our City filed a Redevelopment Plan for the corridor with the City Clerk. This will now trigger a series of Notices and events culminating with a Public Hearing in early 2012. Hopefully the TIF will finalize by late February and Hy-Vee can then break ground. Hy-Vee can use future real estate tax revenue (TIF funds) derived from increased property values at the site and reimburse itself for some of its development costs. Follow the SJR and other news sources for more information.  See my MacArthur TIF page for more details…

MacArthur Park Apartments

In early August 2011, I swore out an affidavit and our City got a search warrant to allow our City Inspectors to inspect the Apartments. The owner was denying us access. Since then, the City has inspected 21 buildings involving 84 units, found over 1400 violations, placarded 45 units “Occupancy Prohibited”, and required the owner to register and board-up seven of the buildings.

I also requested our local Springfield Housing Authority (SHA) to deny approval of any additional “Section 8” units there. The SHA was paying the landlord for 60 Section 8 apartments at the site. A Federal regulation states that a Housing Authority may deny Section 8 to a landlord with “a history or practice of renting units that fail to meet State or local housing codes.” Clearly, this site meets that criterion. I will keep pursuing this issue. The SHA has yet to formally respond.

Read & download my letter to the SHA…

Retirement from 30 Years of Service in the Illinois Army National Guard

Sept 2011 with BG Pratt (on the right), the last of many Brigade Commanders I served as Command Judge Advocate.

This month I retire from the Illinois Army National Guard, 30 years after enlisting as a Private and shipping out to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for Basic Training. Photo: Sept 2011 with BG Pratt (on the right), the last of many Brigade Commanders I served as Command Judge Advocate.

Zoning Change Request for Old Esquire Theatre Parking Lot

Roberts Automotive has submitted a petition to the Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission for a change in zoning for the parking lot of the old Esquire Theater.  Download the petition here... (PDF)

MBBA Letter Opposing the Rezoning

Read the MBBA letter to the Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission opposing the rezoning petition...

Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Wed Oct 21

The Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission will hear the zoing case Wednesday night, September 21 at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers Third Floor, Municipal Center West.  Planning and Zoning staff have recommended denial of the petition as "spot zoning".  Download their report here...

Aldermen Vote to Begin Creation of 9th Springfield TIF - MacArthur Area

Download the MacArthur TIF timeline...

SJ-R September 6, 2011

MacArthur TIF district. Aldermen voted to begin creation of Springfield’s ninth tax increment financing district along MacArthur Boulevard.

The proposed TIF district area would include both sides of MacArthur from South Grand Avenue to Summit Avenue, from alley to alley, but would include only properties that front the street.

Aldermen also approved a $29,000 contract with Peckham, Guyton, Albers & Viets Inc. to serve as the city’s consultant on creation of the district. The process could take more than a year.

More information...

MacArthur Boulevard TIF proposals submitted to aldermen
By DEANA STROISCH (deana.stroisch@sj-r.com), THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER, Posted Aug 17, 2011

Proposals to create Springfield’s ninth tax increment financing district along a struggling section of MacArthur Boulevard were introduced to aldermen this week.

Mayor Mike Houston said he believes the area will meet the requirements needed to be designated as a TIF district.  “The real secret in terms of dealing with something along MacArthur is limiting the boundaries,” he said.

The city is targeting MacArthur Boulevard from South Grand Avenue to Summit Avenue.  Houston said the TIF district area would include both sides of MacArthur — from alley to alley – but include only properties that front the street. The troubled MacArthur Park Apartments probably won’t be included in the district, Houston said.

The proposal is sponsored by Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe and Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, whose wards include MacArthur Boulevard.

“I support a TIF for the area because it is critical to create incentives that will help attract development to the inner city,” Jobe said. “A TIF can also help toward beautification efforts along the boulevard as identified in the Lakota Group Master Plan.”

Aldermen next month also will vote on a contract with Peckham, Guyton, Albers & Viets Inc. to serve as the city’s consultant on creation of the district. The city’s cost is estimated at $15,000.

“With the passage of both ordinances, what we would be in the position to do is to have a consultant begin the work to certify that we can meet the requirements of the tax increment district,” Houston said. “Once we’ve met the requirements, we then have to turn information into the state and have it approved.”

That process can take more than a year.

Read the full story, including "What is a TIF?" at SJ-R.com...

Springfield Rail Corridor Information - High Speed Rail Study

FOURTH ALTERNATIVE FOR SPRINGFIELD RAIL RELOCATION IS BAD IDEA Aug 10, 2011

Read the recommendation and financial plan prepared by by Hanson Professional Services following the completion of their Tier 2 Environmental Impact Study on Rail Consolidation in Springfield.

Hanson Recommendations - Springfield Rail Corridor Study

Six (6) year financial plan

Springfield Railroad Study - Financial Plans

SJ-R Opinion: Our Opinion: MacArthur Park Apartments crackdown serves as a warning
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER, Posted Aug 15, 2011
...

The 188-unit complex generates complaints as a hot spot for crime, residents complain of neglect, the city vows to take action and the apartments’ owner — James Green Management of Granite City — promises improvements to the property, better the screening of tenants, enhanced security. The improvements never arrive.  Actually, the most recent chapter in the grim history of this crumbling, neglected property is slightly different. After city inspectors last week issued 55 pages worth of building code violations, Green Management issued no pledge to implement a new plan to rehabilitate the complex. It’s been unavailable for comment.

And it also has a different, and we believe, much more satisfactory ending, as the city gave the owner an ultimatum to bring the apartment buildings up to code or face further action.

“If this property owner fails to make progress, I’m sure our legal department will bring this property owner to his knees,” said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who spearheaded the inspection effort.  It took a search warrant obtained at the behest of McMenamin, in whose ward MacArthur Park is located, for city inspectors to get into the complex. Previously, they had been denied access to the seven vacant, four-unit buildings inspected last week. What they found was outrageous but hardly surprising considering the history of neglect at MacArthur Park. In less than an hour, inspectors placed “unsafe and dangerous” placards on six of the units.

Piles of trash, exposed wiring, holes in walls and missing floorboards were among the many problems city officials noted. The city gave Green Management a week to obtain building permits to fix the electrical, mechanical, plumbing and housing violations and 10 days to register the buildings as vacant. If these conditions aren’t met, the city will take further action in court.

Kudos to McMenamin for initiating a process that will not end in more empty promises from an absentee landlord.

Speaking of outrageous, mortgage records show the owner borrowed $8 million against MacArthur Park in 2008, McMenamin found. This would have been around the time that, by our headline narrative, improvement plans at the property were “behind schedule.”

For more than a decade, this complex has been arguably the most egregious example of absentee landlord neglect in the city. The process that started last week must become an example to other out-of-town property owners that Springfield will not tolerate neglect and will no longer accept lip service about improvements that never arrive.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com...

Tim Landis: MacArthur Boulevard tailor sees spinoff from Scheels

MacArthur TIF supporters to ask city for $15K

Read the full story at SJ-R.com...

MacArthur Parking Survey
The survey of parking demand on MacArthur boulevard conducted by the Regional Planning office in 2010 in conjunction with the Lakota Group's Redevelopment Plan "did not find any present lack of parking at the sites studied; in fact, surplus parking was available at all sites for all peak periods surveyed. Several of the business parking sites were busy during the peak hours reviewed, but very rarely above 50%, and most often much less." 

Read the full report... (PDF)

Urban sprawl no more: Emphasis in development shifts to “smart growth”
7/8/2010 By Rachel Wells for Illinois Times

The catchphrase in city planning is no longer “urban sprawl” – a term that automatically turns too many people off from discussing environmentally friendly development. Instead, the conversation now focuses on “smart growth,” says Dr. Deanna Glosser.

To Glosser, president of Riverton-based Environmental Planning Solutions, Inc., urban sprawl is synonymous with a proliferation of impervious surfaces, such as asphalt parking lots, and the need for residents to spend more time driving their cars. The eventual result of that kind of development – increased flooding, more polluted waters and poorer air quality – is what smart growth aims to avoid.

“I’m glad we’re dealing more with the term ‘smart growth’ right now,” says Paul O’Shea, the city of Springfield’s planning and design coordinator. He and Glosser served as panelists at a recent Sustainable Springfield discussion on smart growth. O’Shea says that when he first expressed concern about urban sprawl in the capital city about four decades ago, residents’ most common reaction was disbelief that Springfield could have such a problem. “I think understanding the term ‘smart growth’ is more effective.”

O’Shea points to Springfield’s MacArthur Boulevard and Enos Park as great opportunities for infill development.

Read the full story at the Illinois Times...

Building a new MacArthur - Planners bring concepts to wake up a tired street
7/01/2010 By Rachel Wells, Illinois Times
At the very least, businesses on MacArthur Boulevard should and could start adding grass, trees and shrubs to their properties as a way to make the thoroughfare more welcoming to Springfield visitors, says John LaMotte with The Lakota Group.

One of the city planners hired with grant funding to help create a redevelopment plan for the MacArthur corridor, LaMotte is working on a revitalization proposal for what he calls a “tired” street.

“The physical conditions [of MacArthur Boulevard] are so in your face … that the street has been losing customers for years, not just because there’s been so much growth to the west but because it’s just not an attractive place to go,” LaMotte says. “You’ve got to get in and get out.”

With only short pieces of curb separating driveway after wide driveway, the asphalt road blends into the cement that makes up front yards of a number of businesses. But the street could become safer and businesses could look more inviting if owners switched to shared parking lots behind buildings, allowing for wider easements in the front where grass and trees could grow, LaMotte says.

He presented to a workshop of business owners and community members last week draft plans that also call for façade improvements, completing the sidewalk network and reducing the number of curb cuts.

Read the full story at the Illinois Times...

South Side Christian Church expands community outreach
Church plays key part in MacArthur development

By TIM LANDIS, THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER, Posted May 15, 2010

South Side Christian Church's 2006 storm-relief efforts have "...rolled over into a key role for the nearly 70-year-old church in plans to revitalize MacArthur Boulevard from South Grand Avenue to Wabash Avenue", according to Tim Landis of the State Journal Register. 

One of the outgrowths of the church’s partnership with the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association has been a neighborhood “big block bash” on the church parking lot. Businesses along the boulevard were invited to participate in the second year of the event last year, said worship minister Daniel Shelton.  “We want to give in the summertime just a chance for our community to gather together and eat some hotdogs, kids playing and listen to some music, and just to enjoy summer in kind of a carnival atmosphere,” said Shelton.  Last year’s event drew about 1,000 people, he said, “and probably 80 percent of them are people we don’t see on a regular basis.” The event, scheduled this year for July 18, also plays a role in the spiritual mission of the church, said Shelton."

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church at 1725 S. Walnut St. also is a member of the boulevard association, said chairman Cory Jobe. Churches bring a different perspective to the issue of retail and commercial development and neighborhood preservation, he said.  “They are an independent voice, if you will. Consumers might also get a sales job from a business. It just goes hand in hand, and we’re glad to have both churches involved,” said Jobe.

Read the full story at the SJ-R...

State Journal Register Opinion - MacArthur Extension "A key addition to the city’s infrastructure"

State Journal Register
May 4, 2010
...
MUCH AS WE'RE encouraged by the new development this project is all but sure to generate, we also are hopeful that it can fulfill hopes for revitalizing the existing commercial strip of MacArthur north of Wabash Avenue.

We’ve heard for years that this project, once complete, would breathe new life into a commercial corridor that has struggled in recent years in large part because of the westward movement to which Davlin referred. Certainly, there is potential for that.

“We know the south will get the big-box retail, but we feel we can foster good entrepreneurial businesses on the north,” said Cory Jobe, president of the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association.

THAT PATTERN would mirror the west-side development that followed the large retail stores there in the 1980s and 1990s. It’s a goal worth hoping for, and we hope the optimism of city officials and business groups proves founded. Coordinated planning and promotion by city and business interests will be essential if that is to happen.

Those efforts will determine whether the existing commercial corridor shares in the new prosperity or merely becomes a pass-through on the way to and from it.
Read the full story at the SJ-R...

MacArthur could be extended farther -- if the money is there

By Tim Landis
April 29, 2010
Planning is nearly complete for the MacArthur Boulevard extension. Part II.  ...design work is well along to take the road another three-quarters of a mile south to Woodside Road in the next five years.
The planning is largely complete. … We’re beginning to look at land acquisition and funding,” said county highway engineer Tim Zahrn.

ICC spokeswoman Beth Bosch said, aside from the funding question, a lot has to fall into place for the project to begin in the next five years.
  If money becomes available, the next phase is scheduled to start in 2014 with a new intersection at Iron Bridge and Woodside roads, between Springfield and Chatham, that would account for nearly $30 million of the total cost.  ICC funding, which comes from the state motor-fuel tax, pays only for the crossing improvements, such as signals, gates and grade.  That leaves a major chunk of the $34.1 million yet to be funded.

The Woodside Road project is in both the state and local five-year transportation plans, which set priorities for funding. In this case, the initial plan is with the Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates rail crossings.

Among its key elements:

• An underpass to take Woodside Road beneath the Union Pacific railroad.
  
• An overpass that would take the next section of MacArthur — and a bike path — over the railroad.
  
• Move the entire intersection slightly to the west.
  

Read the full story on the SJ-R website...

MBBA Community Meeting - Lakota Group 4/21/2010

The first of three public input workshops for the Redevelopment Plan was held at Douglas School, with approximately 80 people in attendance. During the workshop, the Lakota Group introduced the planning process for the MacArthur Boulevard Redevelopment Study; discussed the Boulevard's strengths, weaknesses and opportunities; and conducted a visual preference survey to gauge what types of land use, development density, and design characteristics are preferred by MacArthur stakeholders.
Download the full Press Release...

The Lakota Group has established a website on the project so the general public can get up to date information about the program.  You can find the project page on the Lakota website...

Read about workshop and other information on our FaceBook page...
Read about the workshop in the SJ-R...

By Bruce Rushton

A milestone was quietly reached Dec. 5 with a certificate of occupancy granted by the city of Springfield for one of seven four-plexes placarded last August in a  housing inspection blitz at the MacArthur Park apartment complex.

It was the first instance of the city allowing tenants to live inside apartments shut down four months ago at the complex that sits between MacArthur Boulevard and the village of Jerome, not far from Wabash Avenue.

“They are making some progress,” says John Sadowski, Springfield building department manager.

But dozens of apartments remain placarded, and progress isn’t fast enough for Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who has asked the Springfield Housing Authority to stop issuing Section 8 housing vouchers for MacArthur Park. The housing authority is considering the idea, but hasn’t given a firm answer.

“We are reviewing it,” says Jackie Newman, housing authority executive director. “Our goal is, certainly, to provide quality, affordable housing.”  Newman says that she has a relative living at MacArthur Park and that her staff is studying federal regulations to determine whether a moratorium on Section 8 vouchers for the complex would be legal. McMenamin, however, sounded optimistic after a Dec. 8 meeting with Newman and other housing authority officials.

“They have this authority and leverage, and they intend to use it,” McMenamin said. “It’s, potentially, a massive hammer.”

About 60 apartments in the 188-unit complex are occupied by tenants who have Section 8 vouchers, Newman said. Clients with Section 8 vouchers can use them anywhere, but Section 8 housing must pass muster with housing authority inspectors who have approved units in MacArthur Park.

The city can foreclose on buildings and demolish them if code violations persist for three years, but that won’t happen at MacArthur Park, according to Don Craven, attorney for Granite Investment Company, the company that owns the complex. But fixing things can’t happen overnight.  “There’s only so much work that so many people can do at one time,” Craven said.

Forty-two apartments in the complex remain placarded after being declared unfit for human habitation during city inspections in August, September and October. Problems range from electrical hazards to holes in walls to roach infestations to no plumbing or utilities, according to inspection reports.

More than half of the complex, which includes nearly four dozen four-unit townhouses, has not been inspected by the city since Mayor Mike Houston last summer launched a get-tough program to deal with problem properties.  The city has been inspecting four-plexes in batches every four to six weeks, and inspectors keep finding problems.

An entire four-plex was placarded in September, along with six apartments in other four-plexes. Eight more apartments were placarded in October. And there are plenty of problems that aren’t serious enough to force closure – McMenamin counts 1,400 violations found at the complex. There could be additional violations in four-plexes where inspectors skipped some apartments. In some cases, inspectors didn’t visit apartments because no one was home, according to inspection records. In other cases, Sadowski said, tenants refused to allow inspectors inside.  Sadowski said the city would need search warrants to inspect apartments where tenants have refused entry.  “That’s something we need to think about, whether we need to do that,” Sadowski said.

Cliff Buscher, deputy chief of the Springfield Police Department, says that officers have been called to MacArthur Park 160 times, mostly for “disturbances,” since Aug. 5, when the city launched its inspection program at the complex.

Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe said that MacArthur Park is a hurdle to redevelopment of the business district along nearby MacArthur Boulevard, where the city plans to create a tax increment finance district.

“When someone talks about the area, they talk about MacArthur Park apartments,” Jobe said. “It does affect the overall perception.”

Read the full story at IllinoisTimes.com…

Ward 7 Update from Alderman McMenamin November 2011

Download update as PDf…

Highlights

Hy-Vee: The Future

The Hy-Vee planning and zoning process continues with all positives so far.
Hy-Vee’s zoning case next goes to the City Council December 20, 2011 for approval.
On Oct 6, I brought Hy-Vee officials in to see Mayor Houston. The Mayor and his administration have been extraordinarily helpful.

MacArthur Boulevard Tax Increment Financing District – TIF

The City Council adopted the first of several resolutions and ordinances in September 2011 to establish the “Mac” TIF. On Nov 18, our City filed a Redevelopment Plan for the corridor with the City Clerk. This will now trigger a series of Notices and events culminating with a Public Hearing in early 2012. Hopefully the TIF will finalize by late February and Hy-Vee can then break ground. Hy-Vee can use future real estate tax revenue (TIF funds) derived from increased property values at the site and reimburse itself for some of its development costs. Follow the SJR and other news sources for more information.  See my MacArthur TIF page for more details…

MacArthur Park Apartments

In early August 2011, I swore out an affidavit and our City got a search warrant to allow our City Inspectors to inspect the Apartments. The owner was denying us access. Since then, the City has inspected 21 buildings involving 84 units, found over 1400 violations, placarded 45 units “Occupancy Prohibited”, and required the owner to register and board-up seven of the buildings.

I also requested our local Springfield Housing Authority (SHA) to deny approval of any additional “Section 8” units there. The SHA was paying the landlord for 60 Section 8 apartments at the site. A Federal regulation states that a Housing Authority may deny Section 8 to a landlord with “a history or practice of renting units that fail to meet State or local housing codes.” Clearly, this site meets that criterion. I will keep pursuing this issue. The SHA has yet to formally respond.

Read & download my letter to the SHA…

Retirement from 30 Years of Service in the Illinois Army National Guard

Sept 2011 with BG Pratt (on the right), the last of many Brigade Commanders I served as Command Judge Advocate.

This month I retire from the Illinois Army National Guard, 30 years after enlisting as a Private and shipping out to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for Basic Training. Photo: Sept 2011 with BG Pratt (on the right), the last of many Brigade Commanders I served as Command Judge Advocate.

Zoning Change Request for Old Esquire Theatre Parking Lot

Roberts Automotive has submitted a petition to the Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission for a change in zoning for the parking lot of the old Esquire Theater.  Download the petition here... (PDF)

MBBA Letter Opposing the Rezoning

Read the MBBA letter to the Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission opposing the rezoning petition...

Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting Wed Oct 21

The Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission will hear the zoing case Wednesday night, September 21 at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers Third Floor, Municipal Center West.  Planning and Zoning staff have recommended denial of the petition as "spot zoning".  Download their report here...

Aldermen Vote to Begin Creation of 9th Springfield TIF - MacArthur Area

Download the MacArthur TIF timeline...

SJ-R September 6, 2011

MacArthur TIF district. Aldermen voted to begin creation of Springfield’s ninth tax increment financing district along MacArthur Boulevard.

The proposed TIF district area would include both sides of MacArthur from South Grand Avenue to Summit Avenue, from alley to alley, but would include only properties that front the street.

Aldermen also approved a $29,000 contract with Peckham, Guyton, Albers & Viets Inc. to serve as the city’s consultant on creation of the district. The process could take more than a year.

More information...

MacArthur Boulevard TIF proposals submitted to aldermen
By DEANA STROISCH (deana.stroisch@sj-r.com), THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER, Posted Aug 17, 2011

Proposals to create Springfield’s ninth tax increment financing district along a struggling section of MacArthur Boulevard were introduced to aldermen this week.

Mayor Mike Houston said he believes the area will meet the requirements needed to be designated as a TIF district.  “The real secret in terms of dealing with something along MacArthur is limiting the boundaries,” he said.

The city is targeting MacArthur Boulevard from South Grand Avenue to Summit Avenue.  Houston said the TIF district area would include both sides of MacArthur — from alley to alley – but include only properties that front the street. The troubled MacArthur Park Apartments probably won’t be included in the district, Houston said.

The proposal is sponsored by Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe and Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, whose wards include MacArthur Boulevard.

“I support a TIF for the area because it is critical to create incentives that will help attract development to the inner city,” Jobe said. “A TIF can also help toward beautification efforts along the boulevard as identified in the Lakota Group Master Plan.”

Aldermen next month also will vote on a contract with Peckham, Guyton, Albers & Viets Inc. to serve as the city’s consultant on creation of the district. The city’s cost is estimated at $15,000.

“With the passage of both ordinances, what we would be in the position to do is to have a consultant begin the work to certify that we can meet the requirements of the tax increment district,” Houston said. “Once we’ve met the requirements, we then have to turn information into the state and have it approved.”

That process can take more than a year.

Read the full story, including "What is a TIF?" at SJ-R.com...

Springfield Rail Corridor Information - High Speed Rail Study

FOURTH ALTERNATIVE FOR SPRINGFIELD RAIL RELOCATION IS BAD IDEA Aug 10, 2011

Read the recommendation and financial plan prepared by by Hanson Professional Services following the completion of their Tier 2 Environmental Impact Study on Rail Consolidation in Springfield.

Hanson Recommendations - Springfield Rail Corridor Study

Six (6) year financial plan

Springfield Railroad Study - Financial Plans

SJ-R Opinion: Our Opinion: MacArthur Park Apartments crackdown serves as a warning
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER, Posted Aug 15, 2011
...

The 188-unit complex generates complaints as a hot spot for crime, residents complain of neglect, the city vows to take action and the apartments’ owner — James Green Management of Granite City — promises improvements to the property, better the screening of tenants, enhanced security. The improvements never arrive.  Actually, the most recent chapter in the grim history of this crumbling, neglected property is slightly different. After city inspectors last week issued 55 pages worth of building code violations, Green Management issued no pledge to implement a new plan to rehabilitate the complex. It’s been unavailable for comment.

And it also has a different, and we believe, much more satisfactory ending, as the city gave the owner an ultimatum to bring the apartment buildings up to code or face further action.

“If this property owner fails to make progress, I’m sure our legal department will bring this property owner to his knees,” said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who spearheaded the inspection effort.  It took a search warrant obtained at the behest of McMenamin, in whose ward MacArthur Park is located, for city inspectors to get into the complex. Previously, they had been denied access to the seven vacant, four-unit buildings inspected last week. What they found was outrageous but hardly surprising considering the history of neglect at MacArthur Park. In less than an hour, inspectors placed “unsafe and dangerous” placards on six of the units.

Piles of trash, exposed wiring, holes in walls and missing floorboards were among the many problems city officials noted. The city gave Green Management a week to obtain building permits to fix the electrical, mechanical, plumbing and housing violations and 10 days to register the buildings as vacant. If these conditions aren’t met, the city will take further action in court.

Kudos to McMenamin for initiating a process that will not end in more empty promises from an absentee landlord.

Speaking of outrageous, mortgage records show the owner borrowed $8 million against MacArthur Park in 2008, McMenamin found. This would have been around the time that, by our headline narrative, improvement plans at the property were “behind schedule.”

For more than a decade, this complex has been arguably the most egregious example of absentee landlord neglect in the city. The process that started last week must become an example to other out-of-town property owners that Springfield will not tolerate neglect and will no longer accept lip service about improvements that never arrive.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com...

Tim Landis: MacArthur Boulevard tailor sees spinoff from Scheels

MacArthur TIF supporters to ask city for $15K

Read the full story at SJ-R.com...

MacArthur Parking Survey
The survey of parking demand on MacArthur boulevard conducted by the Regional Planning office in 2010 in conjunction with the Lakota Group's Redevelopment Plan "did not find any present lack of parking at the sites studied; in fact, surplus parking was available at all sites for all peak periods surveyed. Several of the business parking sites were busy during the peak hours reviewed, but very rarely above 50%, and most often much less." 

Read the full report... (PDF)

Urban sprawl no more: Emphasis in development shifts to “smart growth”
7/8/2010 By Rachel Wells for Illinois Times

The catchphrase in city planning is no longer “urban sprawl” – a term that automatically turns too many people off from discussing environmentally friendly development. Instead, the conversation now focuses on “smart growth,” says Dr. Deanna Glosser.

To Glosser, president of Riverton-based Environmental Planning Solutions, Inc., urban sprawl is synonymous with a proliferation of impervious surfaces, such as asphalt parking lots, and the need for residents to spend more time driving their cars. The eventual result of that kind of development – increased flooding, more polluted waters and poorer air quality – is what smart growth aims to avoid.

“I’m glad we’re dealing more with the term ‘smart growth’ right now,” says Paul O’Shea, the city of Springfield’s planning and design coordinator. He and Glosser served as panelists at a recent Sustainable Springfield discussion on smart growth. O’Shea says that when he first expressed concern about urban sprawl in the capital city about four decades ago, residents’ most common reaction was disbelief that Springfield could have such a problem. “I think understanding the term ‘smart growth’ is more effective.”

O’Shea points to Springfield’s MacArthur Boulevard and Enos Park as great opportunities for infill development.

Read the full story at the Illinois Times...

Building a new MacArthur - Planners bring concepts to wake up a tired street
7/01/2010 By Rachel Wells, Illinois Times
At the very least, businesses on MacArthur Boulevard should and could start adding grass, trees and shrubs to their properties as a way to make the thoroughfare more welcoming to Springfield visitors, says John LaMotte with The Lakota Group.

One of the city planners hired with grant funding to help create a redevelopment plan for the MacArthur corridor, LaMotte is working on a revitalization proposal for what he calls a “tired” street.

“The physical conditions [of MacArthur Boulevard] are so in your face … that the street has been losing customers for years, not just because there’s been so much growth to the west but because it’s just not an attractive place to go,” LaMotte says. “You’ve got to get in and get out.”

With only short pieces of curb separating driveway after wide driveway, the asphalt road blends into the cement that makes up front yards of a number of businesses. But the street could become safer and businesses could look more inviting if owners switched to shared parking lots behind buildings, allowing for wider easements in the front where grass and trees could grow, LaMotte says.

He presented to a workshop of business owners and community members last week draft plans that also call for façade improvements, completing the sidewalk network and reducing the number of curb cuts.

Read the full story at the Illinois Times...

South Side Christian Church expands community outreach
Church plays key part in MacArthur development

By TIM LANDIS, THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER, Posted May 15, 2010

South Side Christian Church's 2006 storm-relief efforts have "...rolled over into a key role for the nearly 70-year-old church in plans to revitalize MacArthur Boulevard from South Grand Avenue to Wabash Avenue", according to Tim Landis of the State Journal Register. 

One of the outgrowths of the church’s partnership with the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association has been a neighborhood “big block bash” on the church parking lot. Businesses along the boulevard were invited to participate in the second year of the event last year, said worship minister Daniel Shelton.  “We want to give in the summertime just a chance for our community to gather together and eat some hotdogs, kids playing and listen to some music, and just to enjoy summer in kind of a carnival atmosphere,” said Shelton.  Last year’s event drew about 1,000 people, he said, “and probably 80 percent of them are people we don’t see on a regular basis.” The event, scheduled this year for July 18, also plays a role in the spiritual mission of the church, said Shelton."

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church at 1725 S. Walnut St. also is a member of the boulevard association, said chairman Cory Jobe. Churches bring a different perspective to the issue of retail and commercial development and neighborhood preservation, he said.  “They are an independent voice, if you will. Consumers might also get a sales job from a business. It just goes hand in hand, and we’re glad to have both churches involved,” said Jobe.

Read the full story at the SJ-R...

State Journal Register Opinion - MacArthur Extension "A key addition to the city’s infrastructure"

State Journal Register
May 4, 2010
...
MUCH AS WE'RE encouraged by the new development this project is all but sure to generate, we also are hopeful that it can fulfill hopes for revitalizing the existing commercial strip of MacArthur north of Wabash Avenue.

We’ve heard for years that this project, once complete, would breathe new life into a commercial corridor that has struggled in recent years in large part because of the westward movement to which Davlin referred. Certainly, there is potential for that.

“We know the south will get the big-box retail, but we feel we can foster good entrepreneurial businesses on the north,” said Cory Jobe, president of the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association.

THAT PATTERN would mirror the west-side development that followed the large retail stores there in the 1980s and 1990s. It’s a goal worth hoping for, and we hope the optimism of city officials and business groups proves founded. Coordinated planning and promotion by city and business interests will be essential if that is to happen.

Those efforts will determine whether the existing commercial corridor shares in the new prosperity or merely becomes a pass-through on the way to and from it.
Read the full story at the SJ-R...

MacArthur could be extended farther -- if the money is there

By Tim Landis
April 29, 2010
Planning is nearly complete for the MacArthur Boulevard extension. Part II.  ...design work is well along to take the road another three-quarters of a mile south to Woodside Road in the next five years.
The planning is largely complete. … We’re beginning to look at land acquisition and funding,” said county highway engineer Tim Zahrn.

ICC spokeswoman Beth Bosch said, aside from the funding question, a lot has to fall into place for the project to begin in the next five years.
  If money becomes available, the next phase is scheduled to start in 2014 with a new intersection at Iron Bridge and Woodside roads, between Springfield and Chatham, that would account for nearly $30 million of the total cost.  ICC funding, which comes from the state motor-fuel tax, pays only for the crossing improvements, such as signals, gates and grade.  That leaves a major chunk of the $34.1 million yet to be funded.

The Woodside Road project is in both the state and local five-year transportation plans, which set priorities for funding. In this case, the initial plan is with the Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates rail crossings.

Among its key elements:

• An underpass to take Woodside Road beneath the Union Pacific railroad.
  
• An overpass that would take the next section of MacArthur — and a bike path — over the railroad.
  
• Move the entire intersection slightly to the west.
  

Read the full story on the SJ-R website...

MBBA Community Meeting - Lakota Group 4/21/2010

The first of three public input workshops for the Redevelopment Plan was held at Douglas School, with approximately 80 people in attendance. During the workshop, the Lakota Group introduced the planning process for the MacArthur Boulevard Redevelopment Study; discussed the Boulevard's strengths, weaknesses and opportunities; and conducted a visual preference survey to gauge what types of land use, development density, and design characteristics are preferred by MacArthur stakeholders.
Download the full Press Release...

The Lakota Group has established a website on the project so the general public can get up to date information about the program.  You can find the project page on the Lakota website...

Read about workshop and other information on our FaceBook page...
Read about the workshop in the SJ-R...