APA Conference 2011 in Boston

Economic development at APA's 2011 National Planning Conference
Join APA's Economic Development Division in Boston for the planning event of the year!  Get an update on division business and network with other division members. Attend sessions on new federal funding and responding to changing economic conditions. Hear the latest on stabilizing areas hit by foreclosure, promoting asset-based development, and cultivating biotech and clean tech. Activities hosted by the Economic Development Division:   Economic Development Division Business Meeting and Reception (X002)   Opportunities/Challenges in Rural Tourism Planning (S527)   Growing the Green Economy: Linking Environmental Sustainability and Economic Development (S527) Dinner and program You might also be interested in:   Wearing the Planning and Economic Development Hats (S814)   End-User Focused Strategy for Brownfield Redevelopment (S587)   The Redevelopment of Historic Hingham Shipyard (W021)   Municipal Development and Finance Short Course Hosted by the Divisions Council:   Local Foods Dinner and Program (P006) With featured speaker Ken Meter	Discounts for APA members Register by February 10 and save even more!   Register CM credits AICP Members: Most conference activities offer CM credit.   Activities that offer CM credit Discounted hotel rooms Save by reserving your Boston hotel room through APA's official housing bureau.   Conference hotels Important Dates Early registration deadline: February 10 Registration deadline: March 10 Conference dates: April 9–12 (Saturday-Tuesday)

New York City 2030 Plan

Check out the New York City Plan Process.

As a Chicago guy, I am not overly fond of New York, but I have to admit it is a great city.  Not as great as Chicago of course, but still great.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml

From Central Illinois Perspective

iBi: Welcome to 2011! Happy New Year...We hope that you and your families had a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to a great year in 2011! iBi ushers in the new year with a look back atPeoria-area history. From distilleries and breweries to earthmoving and manufacturing, the history of the region is a series of one fascinating tale after another. Read on for a sampling of some of the articles in this special issue for January... Made In Peoria: The Birth of Industry by Jerry Klein If one might be permitted to amend the remark by Calvin Coolidge which goes, “The business of America is business,” it might read, “The business of Peoria is making things.” For about the time that President Coolidge made that observation, it was claimed that 900 items bore the title, “Made in Peoria.” Six Degrees of Murray Baker by Jan Wright, Publisher As we worked on this issue, one thing in particular stood out to me: all of the loose threads that weave these stories together. Chillicothe, Tom Callahan and J.C. Penney by Gary Fyke, Chillicothe Historical Society When I first heard that James Cash Penney had come to open a store in Chillicothe, I became curious. I learned that Penney had somehow been involved in business with a man from Chillicothe, Thomas M. Callahan, out in Colorado. And the details I found tell the story of Chillicothe, Thomas Callahan and J.C. Penney. R.G. LeTourneau: God’s Businessman by Norman V. Kelly This mover of men and mountains was a prolific inventor and engineering genius in the tradition of Robert Fulton, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Taking Care of Business for 100 Years by The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce In 1911, a group of businesspeople with a strong faith in community came together to form the Peoria Association of Commerce. A chamber of commerce stands for many things: attracting new business, helping existing businesses develop and working to build a strong local economy. But it starts with civic pride. The Ideal Alum: Ronald Reagan and Eureka College by Dr. Brian Sajko, Eureka College It may sound like hyperbole to state that never was a U.S. president so intimately bound with his college, but in the case of Ronald Wilson Reagan and Eureka College, there can be no overstatement. Before It Became Museum Square: The History of the “Sears Block” by Marilyn Leyland, Peoria Historical Society The site has a long history, including 12,000 years of Native American settlement in the Illinois Valley. Fort Clark Constructed at Peoria in 1813 by Mark L. Johnson, Peoria Historical Society Just over 200 years ago, the small village at Lake Pimiteoui was adjusting to life as a part of the new nation of the United States. Women Answer the Call in Wartime by Amy Chovan The needs and opportunities of the World War II era led to a surge of women entering the workforce for the first time. Lessons from Lincoln by Emily H. Wilburn, VanFleet Law Offices Lincoln’s career path provides insight into the business climate of his day. A History Built Brick By Brick by Keith Steffen, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center The historical roots of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center date back to the 19th century. 90 Years of Business Ethics, Integrity and Self-Regulation by Jessica Tharp, Better Business Bureau of Central Illinois Since 1920, the business community in central Illinois has steadfastly supported ethics, integrity and self-regulation in the marketplace. Really, Really Exciting Real Estate Development! by Jim Bateman What if you had a lottery and everybody who bought a ticket won a big prize? In 1902, that was a premise of the developers of The Uplands. Preservation Stories: It’s Not Just About the Objects by Robert L. Killion, Peoria Historical Society We are surrounded by a myriad of relics of the past. But what makes something worth preserving? The Women of Peoria Women’s Club by Dehlia Ruggles The Peoria Women’s Club was established in 1886 by some amazing local women who were doing important work in the community. Peoria’s Civil War Heroes by Brian “Fox” Ellis, Prairie Folklore Theatre Here are a few of Peoria’s Civil War heroes who have been portrayed in the annual Springdale Cemetery Tour. On Special Collections: A Conversation with Charles Frey, Bradley University The Special Collections Center at Bradley University houses archival materials and other resources that require special management. Carnegie Legacy is Alive and Well in Peoria by Edward J. Barry Jr., Farnsworth Group For 40 years, Andrew Carnegie funded the establishment of free-access public libraries throughout America. Ever-Changing Peoria High by Dr. Peter J. Couri Looking back at the history of Peoria High School helps us understand why it has been saved. Q&A with Bud Grieves: Mark Twain Hotel & Packard Plaza Grieves purchased the present-day Mark Twain Hotel in 1990 and the adjacent Packard Plaza the following year.

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Murder Rate - Peoria and Chicago

Murders in Chicago are the lowest since 1965.

The murder rate in Peoria is higher then the rate in Chicago.


City------Murders Population---Murders per ------------------1,000 People

Peoria--- 22-- 2 113,107---5,141
Chicago--- 435-- 2,833,321---6,513


Still too high in both cities.

http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2010/12/27/peoria-investigates-22nd-homicide-of-2010/ag857na/

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1759000.html


http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1714000.html

Happy New Year

http://bethruyle.com/


http://craighullinger.com

Joint Review Board approves East Village TIF

Today the Joint Review Board approved the East Village Growth Cell TIF. 

Read the rest of the story on the Peoria Chronicle at:

http://peoriachronicle.com/



More info at:


http://www.eastvillagepeoria.com/


http://www.eastvillagepeoria.com/uploads/EVGC-TIF-PublicMeeting-11-29-10.pdf

Government Incentives to Redevelop Older Urban Areas

My favorite blog in Peoria is the Peoria Chronicle, written by C.J. Summers, who is a candidate for City Council. C.J. does a great job on city of Peoria issues.

http://peoriachronicle.com/

I love his blog, but respectfully disagree with his opposition to Heart of Peoria redevelopment efforts. If an older city does not lead the redevelopment of its older central city, it will continue to decline.


Take a look at beautiful downtown Harvey, Chicago Heights, and Gary. I know these cities well. Most of their efforts to rebuild their central city was too little, too  late. A visit to their downtowns might convince a skeptic that a city must rebuild itself, or give up and move out.


We would all prefer that we did not have to incent the redevelopment of our older cities, but that is not reality. 

People are angry about taxes and incentives to the private sector. I understand that anger. But these folks should also understand that a decision not to incent redevelopment is a decision to give up on your older areas. 


Downtown Peoria has some outstanding advantages that Harvey, Chicago Heights, and Gary did not share. The City overlooks the Illinois River, providing a great view.  Our downtown is fortunate to have two great hospitals and a corporate headquarters of Caterpillar, a very successful company that cares about its home town. And the interstate runs through downtown, providing great access.


Still, incentives are required to rebuild downtown. Developers go where they are certain they can develop and get a great return. Redevelopment is much more costly and high risk then greenfield development. We have to equalize these costs through incentives if we want private sector renewal.

TIF Is Effective

Redevelopment assisted by Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is very effective in the City of Peoria. The City created three new TIF's in 2007-2009 and approved twenty redevelopments - some during the "great recession".

Total investment in the buildings is estimated at$336,000,000, creating approximately 1,050 jobs. And there are many more buildings in the works, waiting for better economic conditions.

Completed *

Warehouse TIF
LaVille De Maillet, L.L.C. *
JP Riverfront Development Comp, Inc. (Sullivan) Sealtest
Iron Front, L.L.C., (Huber) 408 Washington
Iron Front, L.L.C., (Huber) 412 Washington
Iron Front, L.L.C., (Huber) 420 Washington
Edgewater Building (Huber) River
Fastenal Company *
Drumheller Properties L.L.C *
D and B Developers, L.L.C. (Waterstreet Solutions) *
B and L Sales *


Southtown TIF
Illinois Medical Clinic *
Long Term Acute Health Care Facility Cullinan *
Cancer Research Center


Hospitality Improvement Zone
Pere Marquette Mariott Courtyard Hotel


Eagleview
Behr Peoria, Inc. *
Martco, LTD (Laser Electric) *
Pulaski Express/Adams Street Supermarket *
JWE Properties/Engler Meier and Justice (Westmont) *


CBD
Caterpillar Visitor Center
Riverfront Museum

http://peoriatif.blogspot.com 

http://craighullinger.com

TIF Plays in Peoria

Southtown Tax Increment Financing District

Tax Increment Financing is controversial.  But there is no question that it is an effective way to build tax base and jobs.  The Southtown TIF is the oldest TIF in the City of Peoria and one of the oldest in Illinois.  The graph and chart show that the value of real estate within the TIF grew much faster then the City and District 150.  In 2013, the TIF will be completed, and the tax revenues will go to all the local goverments.

The graph and chart below show how effectively the two new Tax Increment Financing Districts (TIF's)  have worked.  Despite "The Great Recession of 2007-2009", Equalized Assessed Evaluation (EAV) has grown very rapidly in the TIF's, faster then the City as a whole and faster then School District 150.  150 lags the City because it's boundary misses the rapidly developing north side of the City.  

We believe these numbers support the continued use of Tax Increment Financing.  We want our older neighborhoods to thrive and improve, and TIF is one of the best ways to help that process.

The City has Ten Tax Increment Financing Districts.  These district have created substantial numbers of jobs and additional tax base for the older parts of the City.