The February Monthly Meeting will take place on Thursday, February 13, at the American Red Cross Building, 1045 Outer Park Drive, Springfield, IL. The Meeting Topic is to be announced.

Over the past decade, the MacArthur Boulevard has gone through a time of change. During that time, a dedicated group of residents and elected officials, from the local to the federal level, has worked together for the continued betterment of the area.

While the progress has come with a lot of tested patience, Tuesday was a clear sign of what’s ahead for MacArthur. The groundbreaking of our new neighborhood grocery store, Hy-Vee, has made all of the countless hours from our volunteers worth it.

The list is too long of all those who have been a part of this effort, but sincere gratitute goes to our elected officials, city staff, neighbors, business owners and the members of the MacArthur Boulevard Association who have all believed in the vision for MacArthur.

Now IS the time to Believe in the Boulevard. MacArthur Boulevard is an important piece of our city that links together many  other parts of our community. The MacArthur Boulevard Association welcomes Hy-Vee to Springfield and looks forward to the great things ahead on MacArthur.

Jen Dillman, President, MacArthur Boulevard Association.

By TIM LANDIS
The State Journal-Register
Posted Feb 09, 2013

The HY-VEE supermarket and convenience store will be a little larger than first planned, and there will be more parking.  Construction of the supermarket on the site of the old Kmart at 2115 S. MacArthur Blvd. now is expected to begin this spring.  Members of a regional planning commission committee last week sent the project to the city council, where action could come as early as April.

“It looks like we’ll start about the first of May,” said Ruth Comer, spokeswoman for Hy-Vee. She said the store should open by the spring of 2014.

Most of the questions at last week’s Land Subdivision Committee meeting centered on pedestrian access, landscaping and parking. The committee is among the early stops for large-scale projects.   Steve Walker of Martin Engineering of Springfield said after the meeting the supermarket and convenience store will be somewhat larger than originally planned after Hy-Vee acquired the former Town & Country Shell station at MacArthur and Cherry Road.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

By MOLLY BECK
The State Journal-Register
Posted Feb 01, 2013

Only four miles lie between Lindsay Elementary School and the MacArthur Park Apartments, but that’s quite a trip without a car.

Since city buses don’t travel to Lindsay, either, school officials decided to take the school at 3600 Fielding Road to its 22 students who live in the apartment complex in the 2700 block of South MacArthur

Boulevard. Many of their parents do not have transportation.

And so, in Apartment 170, an educational outreach center was created with the help of complex manager Les Greer.

“A lot of parents don’t have transportation to get their children to and from night activities, so we didn’t want them to feel so left out,” said assistant principal Iola Jackson. “We wanted to take the school

out there.”

So far, the tiny branch of Lindsay School has about 500 books.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

By TIM LANDIS
The State Journal-Register
Posted Jan 17, 2013

A special zoning classification to encourage redevelopment of older commercial areas in Springfield, including MacArthur Boulevard, is among the topics for a newly restructured study group.

Formation of the committee was announced Thursday at a meeting of the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association.  “We’re looking at the possibility of a new zoning classification that would apply not only to stretches of MacArthur, but also to other older commercial neighborhoods around the city,” committee chairman Jim Moll said after the meeting.

Moll, an engineer at Hanson Professional Services, said a mishmash of zoning variances and multiple government jurisdictions have complicated efforts to draw development to MacArthur between South Grand and  Wabash avenues.

He said another possibility is a zoning “overlay” that would be superimposed on existing classifications.
“What we have on MacArthur is a lot of very small lots,” said Moll. “We have commercial properties next to residential properties, and we’re looking for ways to make better use of those lots and make them attractive for future development.”  He said there are similar challenges in other commercial areas of the city.

The committee expects to build on the work of the former MacArthur Boulevard Action Committee, which has been folded into the MBBA as part of an overall restructuring of the organization.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

By The Editorial Board
The State Journal-Register
Posted Jan 16, 2013

Eight years ago, The Garrison Group proposed a project for the shuttered Esquire Theatre property on MacArthur Boulevard called Cherry Grove Shoppes, a pedestrian-oriented development that would have had a small grocery store, stores fronting the street, parking in the back and no booze.

With the highbrow misspelling of the word “shops” and the inclusion of a fruit that doesn’t grow in a grove around here in its name, the upscale development was a dream for residents who live along the aging
boulevard.  It fell through, as did a similar plan in 2007 by a Chicago-based developer. Last year, residents and Springfield aldermen killed the idea of putting a used-car dealership on the south side of the property because it required a variance allowing the cars to be displayed on the parking lot outside.

This page was critical of that decision, which would have redeveloped only the south half of the Esquire property and not the theater itself. While the plan would not have followed the mixed residential and
commercial development plan written by consultants at the Lakota Group in 2011, it was better than what’s there now.

City development officials and the president of the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association visited us recently and reaffirmed their support for sticking with the Lakota Group’s plan.  Had the dealership gone through, the property would have been cut in half with the least attractive part – a building that will be potentially costly to demolish – being all that was left, they argued, also noting that the Lakota Group recommendations were less than two years old, too early to abandon.

In retrospect, they were right — at least for the next several years as we see how the development of a Hy-Vee grocery store affects the rest of MacArthur Boulevard. We believe, as they do, that Hy-Vee will be an enormous boost for the neighborhood that, combined with the future availability of tax-increment financing, should provide enough incentive to get someone to develop something special on the Esquire property.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

By DEANA STROISCH
The State Journal-Register
Posted Jan 14, 2013

With a Hy-Vee deal approved, the focus along MacArthur Boulevard is shifting to the former Esquire Theatre.

The building, the largest undeveloped property along MacArthur, has been empty for nearly a decade.  Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, whose ward includes the former theater property, said conditions have improved to attract a developer. Land costs have declined, interest rates are low, a new tax increment financing district exists, and there is “renewed pride and activity in the neighborhoods.”

He also noted that, under the city’s new building rules, the owners probably will have to demolish the building by 2015 or face significant fines. Last summer, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. sold its operations in the United States and Canada to Dalian Wanda Group for $2.6 billion. The Esquire was among them.

“The property has the potential to be a showpiece example of landscaping and architectural innovation offering mixed use development,” McMenamin said. “Like Hy-Vee, it can be a springboard for other improvements
and smaller developments along the corridor. The Hy-Vee and Esquire properties have the potential to brand MacArthur Boulevard in the most positive ways.”

Taking another look

Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe said the city should try to land an anchor development for the former Esquire property that is neighborhood- and pedestrian-friendly.  “This is an important parcel of property that many residents and business owners in the area would like to see happen,” Jobe said.  He said an inventory should be taken of under-used and vacant property in order to market it to developers “who are now taking a second and third look since the Hy-Vee redevelopment agreement has been completed.”

Mike Farmer, director of planning and economic development for the city, said the Esquire site is desirable for redevelopment, but he noted there are challenges.  “People just think it’s as simple as ‘Why doesn’t the city do this or why doesn’t somebody do that.’ There’s always those variables that most people aren’t aware of — multiple property owners, one property owner not wanting to sell. … There’s always reasons why it just doesn’t happen, it’s just not because nobody cares.”

Also complicating matters, said McMenamin and Jen Dillman, president of the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association, are the various jurisdictions that control different parts of MacArthur Boulevard — the Illinois Department of Transportation, city of Springfield, Sangamon County, Jerome and Leland Grove.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

By DEANA STROISCH
The State Journal-Register
Posted Jan 08, 2013

Construction of a Hy-Vee grocery store along MacArthur Boulevard is expected to begin this spring, after Springfield aldermen Tuesday unanimously agreed to provide the company with $3.5 million in tax increment financing.

The agreement passed without debate.

Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin thanked local businesses and agencies, such as the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and Town & Country Shopping Center, for making pledges to jump-start the TIF district.

“Hy-Vee will transform a blighted block into an oasis and restore pride to nearby neighborhoods that felt abandoned by major retailers in recent years,” McMenamin said.

Hy-Vee plans to build a full-service grocery store and a gasoline station-convenience store on the site of the old Kmart at 2115 S. MacArthur Blvd., along with the adjoining building that formerly housed

Spillway Lanes bowling alley. The company also recently purchased the former Town & Country Shell station, which closed in October.

Mayor Mike Houston said residents have wanted a grocery store on MacArthur since Schnucks closed in 1996.

“I think this is really a great opportunity for not only the residents of the Macarthur Boulevard area, but for the entire community in terms of really removing an eyesore and having a major development that will be a catalyst for other activity up and down the boulevard,” Houston said.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

By DEANA STROISCH
The State Journal-Register
Posted Dec 24, 2012

Hy-Vee Co. has officially purchased the former Town & Country Shell station on MacArthur Boulevard.

Former owner Jim Benson said Hy-Vee closed on the property, 2101 S. MacArthur Blvd., last week. In October, Benson closed his business, one of the last full-service stations in Springfield, because of the competitive nature of gasoline sales and code violations cited by the city. He had owned Town & Country since 1984. “I miss the people,” he said Monday. “I would have liked to stay another four, five years.” Benson declined to disclose the sale price. The property’s assessed value is $107,387, according to Sangamon County records.

Iowa-based Hy-Vee announced plans in September 2011 to build a full-service grocery store and a gasoline station-convenience store that would bring nearly 500 jobs to the site of the old Kmart, along with the adjoining building that formerly housed Spillway Lanes bowling alley. Hy-Vee officials have said there are no specific plans yet for the Town & Country Shell station at MacArthur and Cherry Road.

Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin called the purchase of the Shell station a “win-win-win” for Benson, Hy-Vee and the residents and businesses of MacArthur Boulevard. He said Hy-Vee has spent more than $5 million to purchase properties for its project.

“Even the most loyal patrons of Benson’s Shell see the benefits of a comprehensive and unified site development on the four land parcels comprising the intersections of MacArthur with Outer Park Drive and Cherry Roads,” McMenamin said.

Plans call for Hy-Vee to demolish three buildings — the bowling alley, a Title Max store and the Shell station — and rehabilitate the old Kmart building, he said. The company has said it will do extensive landscaping, adding more than 50 trees and 500 bushes.  “HyVee will dramatically transform a longtime eyesore into the pride of the near southwest side of Springfield, witnessed by a 20,000 daily vehicle count,” McMenamin said.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

Tim Landis, September 15, 2012

The MacArthur Boulevard Business Association has 140 members, a long-term redevelopment plan and prospects for a Hy-Vee supermarket five years into the organization’s existence. It also has the old Esquire building, a mishmash of zoning rules and the prospect of more retail competition to the south.

“I think it can only get better,” said Sue Schwartz in explaining her decision to open a new business on MacArthur last spring. Schwartz, owner of Studio on Sixth Street at 215 S. Sixth St., said she considered factors good and bad before opening Gypsy Soul at 1417 S. MacArthur Blvd. The second artist’s studio, for instance, is just across the street from the former Esquire Theater, a building boulevard supporters consider one of the area’s most persistent eyesores. “We have a lot of neighborhood people here,” said Schwartz. “They were just very happy that we took over that spot.”

Sangamon County Board member Jen Dillman and Sharon Whalen, publisher of the Illinois Times, were among the handful of early organizers. “I realize it’s a patient process,” said Dillman. “Things don’t happen overnight.” Dillman said consistent zoning is one of the next big challenges for the corridor, and Hy-Vee will help build momentum.

Whalen, who is relocating to Florida, credited the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce with raising the question of MacArthur’s future once the extension was completed. “‘We know this is coming. What’s your answer to it? How are you going to preserve that area?’” were the questions, Whalen said.

Association president Debbie Thompson, who previously represented Ward 7 on the Springfield City Council, said in an email that Hy-Vee and the TIF provide the foundation for the next five years. “Further discussions with city officials (are needed) to address infrastructure issues, such as the burying of electrical lines, curbs and gutters, and sidewalks,” said Thompson, “and possible transfer of the boulevard from the state to the city.”

Plans by Iowa-based supermarket chain Hy-Vee to convert the former Kmart at 2115 S. MacArthur Blvd. to a grocery store are considered by boulevard supporters the key to much of what comes next. But there has been some frustration in recent weeks among MacArthur Boulevard Business Association members over the pace of negotiations with the city for tax-increment financing incentives.

Both Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who represents much of the area, and Ward 6. Ald. Cory Jobe addressed the issue at the monthly MBBA meeting held on Thursday. “Hy-Vee is coming,” said Jobe, who served as MBBA president for the group’s first 3 1/2 years. “I have complete faith in our economic-development director and our mayor when it comes to negotiating with Hy-Vee. “It’s one person’s opinion over the next, but I think we have to wait as an association to see what the agreement is going to be,” said Jobe.

McMenamin said negotiations have been complicated by the fact there is not yet any revenue in the new TIF, which uses increases in property tax values to help pay for additional redevelopment within the district. One of the key issues is how much of the TIF money would be committed upfront to Hy-Vee and what would remain for other developments. “We want to make sure the reimbursement to Hy-Vee is structured in such a way that there’s money left for other purposes,” said McMenamin.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

Bruce Rushton, September 13, 2012

Debate over short-term loan businesses on MacArthur Boulevard has erupted anew three years after the Springfield City Council restricted the proliferation of businesses that profit from making installment loans.

At issue is what constitutes a business subject to the city’s ban on loan establishments locating within 1,500 feet of like businesses on a decaying section of MacArthur Boulevard. The city hopes to rejuvenate the commercial strip with the help of a new tax-increment financing district formed to aid development of a proposed Hy-Vee supermarket at the site of a long-closed K-Mart.

TitleMax, which loans money to folks with motor-vehicle titles as collateral, must move to make way for the new supermarket. But the Springfield building and zoning department initially rejected a TitleMax application for a building permit to allow a move to the nearby Town and Country shopping center, also on MacArthur Boulevard.

Zoning officials rejected the application due to the 2009 ordinance, which was passed after several installment-loan businesses set up shop on MacArthur. But Mayor Mike Houston points out that the city ordinance applies to payday loan operations as defined by the state. It turns out that loans involving collateral such as vehicle titles are different than loans made in exchange for a check post-dated to the date a borrower gets a paycheck, at least so far as the state is concerned.

“At the time that the ordinance was passed there was no consideration given to businesses that accept collateral,” Houston wrote in an email response to questions. “Therefore, there would be no provisions that would prevent TitleMax from moving across the street (Outer Park Drive) from its present location.”

Houston also said that he would “certainly be willing to work with any aldermen who would like to broaden the scope” of the ordinance. Whether the city council would want to revisit an issue that proved contentious during the last go-round isn’t clear.

Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe, who pushed for restrictions on installment-loan businesses while head of the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association prior to winning his council seat, said that he hasn’t spoken with colleagues on the council about amending the ordinance, but it could be a hard sell. He said that he believes that the city should enforce the spirit of the law. The measuring stick, he said, should be high interest rates.

“I consider TitleMax to be just like another loan-store operation that was intended to be addressed under this ordinance,” Jobe said. “I think we should enforce the law as it was intended to be enforced. … In the spirit of the ordinance, we never dreamed of TitleMax being out of it.”

In a recent email to city zoning officials, however, James Zerkle, an attorney who is one of the owners of Town and Country, wrote that TitleMax has a lease with the shopping center and the city could be on the hook for economic losses if a building permit is improperly denied. He could not be reached for comment.

Like Jobe, Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin said that the distinction between payday loan operations and title-loan businesses came as a surprise. “It’s kind of a new question,” McMenamin said. McMenamin, who is a lawyer, said that it is likely too late for the city to stop TitleMax from moving. He said title-loan businesses provide a service in that borrowers rejected by conventional banks can get lower interest rates than offered by payday loan stores. But he didn’t reject revisiting the ordinance. “I’m really open-minded on the issue,” McMenamin said.

Read the full story at IllinoisTimes.com…

By Deana Stroisch, August 31, 2012

The city of Springfield won’t consider opening a police substation at the MacArthur Park Apartments until the complex is cleaned up, Mayor Mike Houston said Friday.

Representatives of the apartments have twice offered the city a fully furnished unit at the complex on MacArthur Boulevard — rent and utility free — to house a neighborhood police officer.

Read more at sj-r.com…

By Bernard Schoenburg, June 23, 2012

A year after the Scheels sporting good store became the first business to open in a special business area on Springfield’s south side, extra sales tax revenue designed to pay off infrastructure improvements has been accumulating as planned, a Springfield official says.

The Springfield City Council voted in early 2008 to create the South Central Business District, a 450-acre area that includes the Scheels site and other property near the new MacArthur Boulevard interchange off Interstate 72. An extra 1 percent sales tax is charged on purchases in the district.

Read more at SJ-R.com

By Tamara Browning, May 30, 2012

Local artist JENNIFER SNOPKO, known for her plastic bottle sculptures and installations, tried her hand at wire-wrapped jewelry this year “out of boredom,” she said.

“It’s a new thing I kind of picked up. Then I was just recently juried into the Prairie Art Alliance for the jewelry,” said Snopko, who is manager of Prairie Art Alliance’s Gallery II, 2 S. Old State Capitol Plaza.

Art in Action will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. June 8 on the grounds of Standard Mutual Insurance, South Grand Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard.

Read more at SJ-R.com

By Tim Landis, May 25, 2012

Nearly a decade after the Esquire Theatre shut down, proponents of MacArthur Boulevard redevelopment say they hope an impending ownership change will revive prospects for the building.

AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. announced this week it is selling its operations in the United States and Canada to Dalian Wanda Group for $2.6 billion. The private Chinese conglomerate already is among the world’s largest entertainment companies.

Read more at SJ-R.com

By Tim Landis, May 21, 2012

Three Springfield movie theaters will change ownership for the second time in two years under a $2.6 billion international deal announced Monday.

Dalian Wanda Group, Co., a private Chinese conglomerate, announced it has reached agreement to buy AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., subject to regulatory approval in both countries. The sale would create the world’s largest cinema chain.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com

Tim Landis, May 11, 2012
The MacArthur Boulevard Business Association hopes to raise at least $5,000 for a redevelopment fund from a retooled art festival next month. MacArt Fest is scheduled for 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 8 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 9 on the grounds of Standard Mutual Insurance Co., 1028 South Grand Ave. W.

Tickets for the Friday event, which will feature the works of 20 local arts, are $30 per individual or $50 per couple. All proceeds will go to the MacArthur Boulevard Redevelopment Fund. More than 50 artists and craftsmen are scheduled to participate in the Saturday event. Additional information is available www.macartfest.com.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

By Chris Dettro, May 09, 2012

An administrative court judge Wednesday fined the owners of the MacArthur Park Apartments $13,000 for not having corrected 26 building code violations they had promised to fix by the time of an inspection on April 5.

Bill Logan, executive assistant to the mayor, said the city won’t be satisfied until Granite City Investment keeps the buildings in compliance without having city inspectors point out violations.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com

By DEANA STROISCH (deana.stroisch@sj-r.com), The State Journal-Register
Posted Apr 05, 2012
City inspectors and an administrative court hearing officer spent more than three hours at MacArthur Park Apartments Thursday morning reviewing the status of more than 150 alleged violations of building codes. Officials representing both MacArthur Park and the city agreed that many of the violations had been corrected.

…

[Bill Logan, the mayor’s executive assistant,] noted that the problems at MacArthur Park date back many years.  “This is a long history of neglect and just … disrespect for the policy of Springfield city government as far as code enforcement is concerned,” Logan said. “All we want is for these owners and landlords to obey the law.” Craven said by his count, the number of remaining violations is down to 19, including a sticky door and a couple of missing cover plates.

…

The violations stem from the city’s execution of a search warrant to inspect the apartment complex last summer. Dozens of violations were found, and some units were placarded as uninhabitable.

Inspectors have continued to inspect additional units ever since. Another six buildings will be inspected next week.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

By Bruce Rushton, Illinois Times

Thursday, April 5,2012

The owner of MacArthur Park apartments on MacArthur Boulevard near Jerome will tear down one four-plex at the troubled complex that’s been a target of city building inspectors.

The batch of buildings inspected this morning had the most serious code violations, Craven said. The city has inspected 27 four-plexes at the 188-unit complex since August and has more than a dozen to go.

The building set for demolition had fire damage, [the owner’s attorney Don] Craven said.  “We began work on it,” Craven said. “The farther we got into it, the more apparent it became that it wasn’t going to work.”

Read the full story at IllinoisTimes.com…

An administrative court judge will visit MacArthur Park Apartments, one of Springfield’s largest complexes, next Thursday to review the status of more than 150 alleged code violations.  The unusual move was ordered by hearing officer Timothy Londrigan Wednesday morning, despite pleas from the city that the complex be fined immediately.

“We have been working with this situation now since August,” said Bill Logan, the mayor’s executive assistant. “And we have continued to run into ‘We’ll fix it tomorrow. We’ll do it tomorrow. We’ll give you plans. We will draw you pretty buildings. We will promise that we will do the work.’”

Londrigan said the on-site visit should speed up what is expected to be the lengthy process of studying the evidence applying to each individual allegation. The public, however, won’t be allowed on the private property to observe.

Mark Cullen, Springfield’s corporation counsel, said no rulings will be issued during the site visit. Another public hearing will be scheduled for any decisions to be made, he said.

Wednesday’s hearing had been continued two weeks ago to allow the city to re-inspect the complex in the 2700 block of MacArthur Boulevard to see if some of the violations had been fixed. But the city couldn’t gain entry into all of the units in question.

Springfield attorney Don Craven, who represents MacArthur Park’s owner, James Green of Granite City Investment Company, asked the hearing officer to allow a final inspection next week. Violations are to be considered fixed or continuing as of that inspection.

Since the last hearing, a local contractor has been renovating one of the buildings from top to bottom. Craven previously said a plan to complete the remaining repairs will be assembled based on how long the contractor takes to renovate the first building.

Londrigan also ordered the owners of MacArthur Park to allow city inspectors access to any apartment on the property on another date. A representative of the owner must accompany the inspectors.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

An administrative court hearing on more than 200 alleged code violations at MacArthur Park Apartments was continued Wednesday for two weeks.

The city of Springfield plans to re-inspect the complex in the 2700 block of MacArthur Boulevard on Friday to see if some of the violations have been fixed.

Springfield attorney Don Craven, who represents MacArthur Park’s owner, James Green of Granite City Investment Company, said a local contractor has been hired to renovate one of the buildings from top to bottom.

A plan will be assembled to complete the remaining repairs at the complex based on how long the contractor takes to renovate the first building, Craven said.

The violations stem from last summer, when the city executed a search warrant to inspect the apartment complex. Dozens of violations were found, and some units were placarded and deemed uninhabitable. Inspectors have been back several times since to inspect additional units and re-inspect others.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

Posted Feb 25, 2012

Hy-Vee Corp. will have to make one more trip to the Springfield City Council before the Iowa-based supermarket chain can begin conversion of the former Kmart building on MacArthur Boulevard, city officials say.

Plans are for both to happen this spring.

“We’ll be entering into negotiations with Hy-Vee for a developer’s agreement. We expect that to begin soon,” said city economic development director Mike Farmer.

Hy-Vee is expected to ask for assistance from a MacArthur Boulevard tax increment financing district that was unanimously approved by the council Tuesday. The district covers both sides of MacArthur from South Grand Avenue to Summit Avenue.

Farmer said negotiations will determine the amount of assistance sought by Hy-Vee and the type of work that is eligible.  “There’ll obviously be some demolition on the site and some clearing and environmental costs. We’d probably cover a portion of that,” said Farmer.

Under TIF rules, increased revenue from property taxes can be used to reimburse developers for the cost of improvements. Hy-Vee plans to demolish the exterior of the former Kmart and use the steelwork as the skeleton of the grocery store.

The former Spillway Lanes bowling alley would be demolished to make room for a convenience store and gasoline station. A Title-Max payday loans building also would be demolished to allow for additional parking.

No money in TIF

The MacArthur TIF will not begin to generate money for redevelopment until 2011 property taxes are collected this year, said Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin, who represents the area.  “I expect something will be worked out,” said McMenamin. “It’s more difficult because there are no funds.”

The MacArthur TIF is the city’s eighth.  Farmer said one possibility would be to sell bonds for the Hy-Vee construction and pay off the bonds as TIF revenues flow into the district.  Both McMenamin and Farmer said they believe an agreement can be approved by the city council in time to meet Hy-Vee’s spring construction schedule. The company has indicated construction will take about a year.

Marketing, zoning

The MacArthur Boulevard Action Committee — or MacBac, as the 16-member committee is known — is nearing completion of a marketing plan to build on projects such as the Kmart conversion, said committee chairman Micah Bartlett.   “We’re putting together a brochure that would be targeted to potential business and real-estate developers,” said Bartlett.

The group, which was created by Mayor Mike Houston, meets monthly to work on implementation of a long-term development plan.  Bartlett said the brochure highlighting potential development sites is in draft form, but should be ready soon to share with economic development officials.   “We want to get this into as many hands as possible,” said Bartlett.

The committee also is trying to simplify zoning requirements along MacArthur Boulevard. A consultant’s report pointed out last year that there have been more than 60 zoning variances along the boulevard since 1956.  MacArthur cuts through four government jurisdictions — the city of Springfield, village of Jerome, Capital Township and rural Sangamon County.  “We’re working with the zoning department to make those changes, obviously with a future ordinance,” said Bartlett. “Some of these things we can do in the near future. Others are going to take years.”

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

Posted Feb 21, 2012

Springfield aldermen on Tuesday unanimously approved the city’s eighth tax increment finance district — this one intended to revitalize a struggling section of MacArthur Boulevard.

Ward 6 Ald. Cory Jobe said the TIF district will spur future development in the area.  “I think it’s the next step for Hy-Vee,” Jobe said. “And the commitment that Hy-Vee will be bringing to Macarthur Boulevard will signal that you can do business in the inner city and here’s an incentive tool to help you do it.”

The TIF district will include the section of MacArthur from South Grand Avenue to Summit Avenue. The Hy-Vee chain plans to build a grocery store and other facilities at MacArthur and Outer Park Drive.

PGAV Planners estimated that redeveloping that stretch of MacArthur could cost $27.5 million, much of which could be paid for through the TIF district. Consultants suggested a redevelopment plan consisting of both private and public investments, ranging from fixing streets and sidewalks to rehabilitating existing properties and demolishing others.

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

Posted Feb 08, 2012

By TIM LANDIS (tim.landis@sj-r.com)

But Yanow, 65, said neither he nor the ice-cream shop at 1700 S. MacArthur Blvd. are going away. Mindi Gutmann, the store’s manager for 23 years, has purchased the business. Yanow also plans to remain active in the MacArthur redevelopment effort.

“”The last couple of years, my wife and I have said 41 years is a longtime to run a business,” said Yanow, “especially one that’s open seven days a week, twelve hours a day, 364 days a year, even though I don’t work those hours.  No owners works those hours, but the idea is you’re still responsible for the business,” said Yanow.  He said he and his wife, Sherry, also are expecting their first grandchild this spring and want to be able to travel. He and Gutmann began to discuss the possibility of her taking over several years ago.  “She is my right and left hand,” said Yanow.

Cruising the strip

Gutmann recalled that MacArthur Boulevard was a happening street for the city’s youth in the late 1970s.

“When I was in high school, everybody cruised MacArthur Boulevard,” she said.

Gutmann, who went to work as manager in 1988, will co-own the store with her husband, Nate. She said no immediate changes are planned.  “We want to try to run it as good as Glenn did,” said Gutmann. “Hopefully, we can expand a little bit and maybe add more outside sales.”

Baskin-Robbins has provided employment for generations of Springfield youth, said Springfield police officer Matt Goulet, who was among longtime customers and former employees to wish Yanow well last week.  “It was one of my best jobs in high school. It was ice cream, and MacArthur was the social strip,” said Goulet, who is now coordinator for Crimestoppers of Sangamon and Menard Counties.  Future doctors, lawyers, dentists, helicopter pilots and judges also worked at the store through the decades, said Yanow.

A boulevard comeback?

Yanow said MacArthur Boulevard took a turn for the worse in the past two decades with the loss of traditional retail and entertainment anchors such as National Foods (later Schnucks), the Esquire Theater and Kmart.

“The traffic hasn’t changed. What changed is that people no longer had a reason to stop here,” said Yanow.  Yanow said he plans to remain active in the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association, which was formed six years ago to promote redevelopment of the corridor between South Grand and Wabash avenues.  The biggest success to date has been Hyvee Corp.’s announcement that it plans to convert the former Kmart on MacArthur to a supermarket. Construction could begin this spring.  “I think Hy-Vee is going to be a turning point,” said Yanow.

Other than travel and visiting family, Yanow said he has no immediate plans. He said he might do consulting work for Baskin-Robbins or some other jobs, so long as it isn’t in direct retail sales.“I’m not going to work retail,” said Yanow. “But if I find something I like, I like to stay busy.”

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

By DEANA STROISCH (deana.stroisch@sj-r.com)
The State Journal-Register
Posted Dec 22

Citing “serious and pervasive code violations,” the Springfield Housing Authority has stopped issuing new Section 8 vouchers for the MacArthur Park Apartments. Jackie Newman, executive director of the housing authority, notified the owner this week that the agency will prohibit additional Section 8 tenants “until the owner has brought the units into compliance and has demonstrated a history of compliance with city codes for an extended period of time.” Officials say the move should not affect current tenants at the 170-plus-unit complex at 2715 S. MacArthur Blvd.

Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin has asked for months that the agency pull the plug on its Section 8 vouchers. On Thursday, he called SHA’s decision a “significant step. It’ll have immediate and long-term consequences for the improvement of not only Macarthur Boulevard corridor, but for the city in general,” he said. “Landlords are on notice that SHA will not tolerate any history of local code violations.”

Don Craven, the owner’s attorney, said he couldn’t comment until he discussed the matter with the owner today.

Between August and November, city inspectors found hundreds of code violations and declared nearly four dozen MacArthur Park apartments to be uninhabitable. Eight of the four-unit buildings were required to be registered. In early December, the city issued a certificate of occupancy for a building that was first placarded in August, allowing new tenants to move in.

Newman said SHA representatives joined the city during recent inspections. She called the list of code violations “extensive.” In notifying the owner, James Green of Granite Investment Company, Newman pointed to the Code of Federal Regulations, which gives housing agencies the authority to deny rent assistance to “landlords who have a history of practice of renting units that fail to meet state or local housing codes.” Newman said she’s never had to take such action in her 6 1/2 years as SHA executive director. She said between 50 and 55 tenants at the complex receive the federal assistance.

***
Federal Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8)

* Tenant’s obligations: Comply with the lease and the program requirements, pay his or her share of rent on time, maintain the unit in good condition and notify the housing authority of any changes in income or family composition.

* Landlord’s obligations: Provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing at a reasonable rent. The dwelling unit must pass housing quality standards and be maintained in that condition.

* Housing authority’s obligations: Administer the voucher program locally and contract with the landlord to provide housing assistance payments on behalf of a family. If the landlord fails to meet the owner’s obligations, the housing authority can terminate assistance payments. The housing authority re-examines each family’s income and composition at least annually and must inspect each unit at least annually.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

HY-VEE appears to be on track for final approval Tuesday of plans to convert the former Kmart building at 2115 S. MacArthur Blvd. to a full-service supermarket and convenience store. The Springfield City Council is expected to vote on the project, which has had no serious opposition up to now.

The company, based in Des Moines, Iowa, still must complete the purchase of three parcels needed for the project. Hy-vee executives have indicated they would like to begin construction as soon as the site plan is approved and the properties are purchased.

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…

The former TAYLOR RENTAL building at 2056 S. MacArthur Blvd. will be demolished or renovated soon.  The out-of-town owners have taken bids for demolition and for renovation.  Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin is among those who have been pushing for repair or demolition of the structure, which has been vacant for several years.

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…

Ward 7 Alderman Joe McMenamin, in whose ward the zoning change is located, is uncommitted on the request.
Alderman Cory Jobe from Ward 6 is on record against the zoning change petition.

The MBBA is opposed to this zoning request for the following reasons:
– The proposed zoning change is from S2 (community shopping and office district) to B1 (highway business service district.) From the City zoning regulations: “This district is designed to provide particularly for drive-in type of automotive and other services, entertainment and open amusement establishments, all of which tend to interfere with the pattern of prime retail development of convenient shopping. Since many of these establishments are designed to attract the motorist, they may involve lighting or signs, which make them incompatible with residential uses. Since these establishments have a wide service area and generate considerable automotive traffic, they are appropriate along major thoroughfares. ”
– The proposed use is not in sync with the MacArthur Master Plan, which recommends the South Grand and MacArthur corner be used for pedestrian-friendly mixed-use retail and residential with greenspace. Indeed, the Master Plan recommends consolidation of automotive businesses in an area north of Stanford and East of MacArthur.
– – With 59 zoning variances granted in the past 55 years, the lack of planning is painfully obvious to anyone who regularly travels MacArthur Boulevard. See Chris Britt’s cartoon below and in the Sept. 2 State Journal-Register…
– The project had been promoted to representatives of MBBA as a new type of high-end dealership, but the petition indicates the intent is to move the current business from Sixth Street to MacArthur.
– The project promoters did not approach the MBBA or neighbors with a business plan and request their support in advance.
– The petition was submitted without notifying the Ward 7 Alderman, Joe McMenamin.

The MBBA will provide updates on its website, www.shoponmacarthur.com and via eNews, including information on meeting dates for the Planning & Zoning Commission and the City Council.

Chris Britt in the September 2 State Journal Register: “Beautiful MacArthur”

MacArthur today: no plan; 59 variances in 55 years

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…

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…

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…

y TIM LANDIS (tim.landis@sj-r.com), THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER,Posted Aug 11, 2011

Read the full story at SJ-R.com…

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)

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…

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…