I would like to propose an alternative to public housing and Section 8 vouchers in Will county. It is apparent that public housing projects are failures here and elsewhere. Chicago is tearing theirs down as quickly as they can. Joliet has plans to bulldoze Poole Gardens. And it is hard to see Evergreen Terrace as anything, but a dangerous, blighted failure. The government's solution has been to try to spread public housing out throughout the community by offering Section 8 vouchers. This has allowed the problems of the projects to spread to previously stable residential neighborhoods and to hurt property values of existing homes.
My proposed alternative is to build multi-income new subdivisions. This means not simply redeveloping a small area in an existing neighborhood or renting houses in middle class neighborhoods to those on public assistance. It means building whole new neighborhoods on undeveloped land without neighboring subdivisions. Joliet, Plainfield, and numerous other communities build whole new neighborhoods of high priced homes where just last year farm animals grazed. So new neighborhoods of a different type certainly can be built.
The neighborhoods I envision would include a mix of home styles. Some duplexes, some small ranch homes, some mid-size split levels, some larger homes. Basically a mix of what one would find if they took random homes from every neighborhood in Joliet. These homes would then be sold to whomever desired to buy one. However, there would be assistance for low income families to purchase homes.
The type of assistance I am proposing would be to offer 30 year fixed term mortgages that would have the payments split between the buyers and the government. The government would pay the interest using the funds they now spend on Section 8 vouchers and housing projects. The buyers would be responsible for the principle and for property taxes. They would own their homes and be able to sell them and any rise in property values would accrue to them. There should be a method by which continued eligibility for housing assistance is determined. This would mean that if a family's income rose to there they no longer qualified for assistance the government would stop paying the interest and it would become the responsibility of the family. There could even be a sliding scale.
This arrangement provides several positives. First, it provides low income families with an investment in their homes and communities. They stand to profit or lose based upon their upkeep of their homes. They are rooted in the community instead of moving from apartment to apartment. They pay taxes so they now have a financial interest in what local governments are doing with tax dollars. Second, it protects the property values of surrounding homes. When your neighbors have an incentive to maintain their homes and to keep the neighborhood safe and clean, the value of your property is protected and enhanced. An enhanced tax base would also occur. The families moving into these new neighborhoods already send their kids to our schools. Only now instead of living in a housing project that pays no taxes, they live in a home that is taxable. They share in the costs of the government services they utilize.
These neighborhoods would be open to anyone who wished to buy a home in them regardless of their income status. Those who do not qualify for assistance would purchase a home just like they would anywhere else. Of course a home in a mixed income neighborhood would have a lower property value than a home in a neighborhood of only high end homes. But, this reduced value occurs from the moment it is built so the buyer pays a lower price. This is in contrast to existing homes that have low income families move in next door and see the home they paid full price for fall in value. If these neighborhoods prove to be safer and better maintained that most people would expect a mixed income neighborhood to be, then property values will rise as people change their opinions of such areas. This would provide a profit potential to middle and upper income people willing to take a risk and buy in these new neighborhoods.
The key question is who would build such neighborhoods since there is less profit to be made from smaller homes and the profit on any larger homes would be reduced because of reduced property values due to it being a mixed income neighborhood. We all know housing developers make their money by buying land, building oversized homes for the upper middle class, and tacking on a $100,000 premium over what they cost to build. This results in big profits for the developers and lots of new homes for those who can afford $300,000 and $400,000 homes. My proposal would be to force these same developers to build these mixed income neighborhoods. This would be done by requiring that for every building permit issued in one of their exclusive new subdivisions they build a home in one of these mixed-income subdivisions. There would need to be set quotas on how many of different size and types houses were built so that developers would build what is needed and not just what they think is profitable. This would create two benefits. First, it would mean multiple builders in each of these mixed income neighborhoods which would lead to a greater variety of homes instead of cookie-cutter homes. Second, since building these homes would be tied to getting permits for their own subdivisions, it would become a cost of doing business passed along to homebuyers who desire to live in economically segregated subdivisions.
I am sure there are numerous problems and inadequacies with this proposal. However, I think it would be a considerable improvement over the current system. It focuses on not just providing current housing for low income persons. Instead, it looks to improve their long term housing status, to create economically integrated neighborhoods, to bring people together, to maintain and enhance property values, and to create stable communities where we all have a stake and in which we all can raise our families in safety.
Showing posts with label joliet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joliet. Show all posts
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Vote Today!
Today is election day and it is important that we all get out and cast our votes. There are important issues and races on the ballot for all of our communities. Schools are asking you to allow them to take out multi-million dollar loans using your property as collateral. Politicians are asking that you leave them in office so that they can continue to cozy up to developers and continue business as usual. Many of them do not believe in democracy and have done their best to keep opponents off of the ballot and to silence debate. However, we the people do believe in democracy and should show it by going to the polls today and at every election. If there is no one on the ballot that you can support in a given race, either write someone in or skip voting in that office. Politicians know what it means when 1000 people vote in a precinct, but only 200 vote for them in an uncontested race.
I will offer my opinions on a few items on today's ballot, but hope you will all do your own research and vote in accordance with your beliefs.
In urge you to vote NO on all school referendums. The various school districts turn to the taxpayers to finance grandiose school buildings, but refuse to consider cutting their operating costs. Yes, I know that operating and capital costs are separate, but if a district wants us to support more money for capital projects, then they should also offer to lower the taxes for operating expenses. I would support school district referendums if they were building simple utilitarian buildings and were sharing the pain by cutting back on costs and on perks for their employees.
I urge you to vote for JOHN VERSHAY for 1st Ward Alderman in Crest Hill. John is a very experienced member of the city council. He operates using common sense and fairness. He also demands that city staff do their jobs and is unrelenting in those demands. Betty Lou Semplinski, one of the other candidates in this race, has also served Crest Hill well and I wish she could also be elected. However, the 1st Ward was redistricted and only one of the three candidates in this ward will be elected. I feel that John is the best choice, but hope to see Betty Lou run in two years and hopefully return to the city council.
In the 4th Ward of Lockport, I urge you not to vote for Lisa Lovelace. She is a vindictive person who has harassed her neighbors, city employees, and passersby. She has been involved in numerous police calls and has shown herself to have no self control. Lockport has too much division and confrontation on their city council already and Lisa would only take that to a new level. While I do think Dev Trivedi is a better choice than Lisa Lovelace, I cannot in good faith endorse him either.
In the race for Joliet Mayor, I urge you to vote for DALE VOLLMER. Joliet has long ignored the best interest of its citizens and has forgotten that there is more east of Black Road than just the downtown. Art Schultz brags about how all new subdivisions are gated communities of $300,000+ homes. His idea of development is to have developers build homes that the rest of us cannot afford and to erect gates to keep us out, but to allow us to pay for schools and roads to serve these new residents. New leadership is needed.
I will offer my opinions on a few items on today's ballot, but hope you will all do your own research and vote in accordance with your beliefs.
In urge you to vote NO on all school referendums. The various school districts turn to the taxpayers to finance grandiose school buildings, but refuse to consider cutting their operating costs. Yes, I know that operating and capital costs are separate, but if a district wants us to support more money for capital projects, then they should also offer to lower the taxes for operating expenses. I would support school district referendums if they were building simple utilitarian buildings and were sharing the pain by cutting back on costs and on perks for their employees.
I urge you to vote for JOHN VERSHAY for 1st Ward Alderman in Crest Hill. John is a very experienced member of the city council. He operates using common sense and fairness. He also demands that city staff do their jobs and is unrelenting in those demands. Betty Lou Semplinski, one of the other candidates in this race, has also served Crest Hill well and I wish she could also be elected. However, the 1st Ward was redistricted and only one of the three candidates in this ward will be elected. I feel that John is the best choice, but hope to see Betty Lou run in two years and hopefully return to the city council.
In the 4th Ward of Lockport, I urge you not to vote for Lisa Lovelace. She is a vindictive person who has harassed her neighbors, city employees, and passersby. She has been involved in numerous police calls and has shown herself to have no self control. Lockport has too much division and confrontation on their city council already and Lisa would only take that to a new level. While I do think Dev Trivedi is a better choice than Lisa Lovelace, I cannot in good faith endorse him either.
In the race for Joliet Mayor, I urge you to vote for DALE VOLLMER. Joliet has long ignored the best interest of its citizens and has forgotten that there is more east of Black Road than just the downtown. Art Schultz brags about how all new subdivisions are gated communities of $300,000+ homes. His idea of development is to have developers build homes that the rest of us cannot afford and to erect gates to keep us out, but to allow us to pay for schools and roads to serve these new residents. New leadership is needed.
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Costly Art
The Joliet City Council recently decided to wait on voting on purchasing additional public artwork until after the election. It seems that they do not want to vote on a pork project so close to an election. Heavens forbid their vote be fresh in the minds of voters!
I am not against public art. I am just against the $2.5 million that Joliet has paid to Friends of Community Public Art for public art and sculptures over the years. This group seems less like friends of public art and more like profiteers of public art. They do not donate public art. They do not raise funds to purchase public art. They do not try to attract artists to create free public art. They create pieces of art and then sell it to the City of Joliet. They simply see the City of Joliet as their wealthy patron and keep milking to City for their livelihoods.
There are better ways of beautifying Joliet with artworks. The city could commission local high school and JJC students to create artworks and simply pay for materials. They could hold a large contest for public sculptures and as part of the contest retain the rights to display the entries for a number of years. The city of Lawrence, Kansas took this second approach and their downtown is filled with beautiful sculptures. The cost of the prizes for the contest was far less than what Joliet spends each year on public art. The prizes were generous enough to attract nationwide entries. And of course the third option is for the City to encourage donations of and towards public art and to provide space for it, but not to fund it directly.
I am not against public art. I am just against the $2.5 million that Joliet has paid to Friends of Community Public Art for public art and sculptures over the years. This group seems less like friends of public art and more like profiteers of public art. They do not donate public art. They do not raise funds to purchase public art. They do not try to attract artists to create free public art. They create pieces of art and then sell it to the City of Joliet. They simply see the City of Joliet as their wealthy patron and keep milking to City for their livelihoods.
There are better ways of beautifying Joliet with artworks. The city could commission local high school and JJC students to create artworks and simply pay for materials. They could hold a large contest for public sculptures and as part of the contest retain the rights to display the entries for a number of years. The city of Lawrence, Kansas took this second approach and their downtown is filled with beautiful sculptures. The cost of the prizes for the contest was far less than what Joliet spends each year on public art. The prizes were generous enough to attract nationwide entries. And of course the third option is for the City to encourage donations of and towards public art and to provide space for it, but not to fund it directly.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Joliet Herald-News hides the news
Besides offering limited coverage of what is going on in our local governments, the Herald-News refuses to provide honest, unbiased coverage. In addition, they reward reporters for hiding the news, by promoting them.
In January of 2006, I read a series of articles in a different Illinois newspaper about how schools were issuing more in bonds than had been authorized by the voters. I then contacted the Plainfield School District with regards to their $252 million referendum at that time, the structure of the bonds they were issuing, and if they were considering utilizing the loophole to issue more than what they were asking for in the referendum. I then e-mailed Andrea Hein at the Herald-News with copies of the original articles and the information that I was able to get from the Plainfield School District.
Andrea, thanked me, said she was already working on a similar story, and would get back to me shortly. She never wrote the "similar" story she was working on and never got back to me. I guess she and Herald-News did not think the potential of millions of taxpayer dollars being spent beyond what the public had voted on was not a big deal. It is more important to keep the politicians happy. The Herald-News rewarded her lack of concern for her job by promoting her from covering Lockport & Crest Hill to covering Joliet.
In January of 2006, I read a series of articles in a different Illinois newspaper about how schools were issuing more in bonds than had been authorized by the voters. I then contacted the Plainfield School District with regards to their $252 million referendum at that time, the structure of the bonds they were issuing, and if they were considering utilizing the loophole to issue more than what they were asking for in the referendum. I then e-mailed Andrea Hein at the Herald-News with copies of the original articles and the information that I was able to get from the Plainfield School District.
Andrea, thanked me, said she was already working on a similar story, and would get back to me shortly. She never wrote the "similar" story she was working on and never got back to me. I guess she and Herald-News did not think the potential of millions of taxpayer dollars being spent beyond what the public had voted on was not a big deal. It is more important to keep the politicians happy. The Herald-News rewarded her lack of concern for her job by promoting her from covering Lockport & Crest Hill to covering Joliet.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Rails to the Future
Transportation is a key issue in Crest Hill and Will County. From an economic and business perspective the expansion of rail transit is of greatest concern. Metra service to Joliet and surrounding communities is inferior to the service that is given to the northern and western suburbs. Having grown up in Arlington Heights, I saw first-hand the power of commuter trains to transform a community's core. Three trains each direction weekdays only on the Heritage Corridor is insufficient. The Rock Island line has a more comprehensive schedule, but Joliet is still under served.
The City of Joliet has not done its part to encourage downtown redevelopment that would compliment commuter rail. There are numerous old buildings that could be redeveloped into commercial uses on the first floor and residential above. This is by far a better use that having vacant old department stores and empty storefronts. Joliet has the building stock to retain its historic downtown flavor while developing a vibrant mixed-use area. The other key is to provide enough parking for additional Metra riders to be possible. This can only be accomplished with conveniently located parking garages. This will not be inexpensive, but will be necessary if we want to create a healthy downtown and see new residents moving into something other than cookie cutter developments on the far west side.
Of specific importance to Crest Hill is the STAR line. This would be a line tying Joliet and Crest Hill to the west of northwest suburbs. Such a connection would allow people to work in those area, but live in Will County. This might bring additional development pressures to this area, but it is the responsibility of cities to continue to grow responsibly. The value of alternative transportation would be great. It would be a boon to the communities along the line and would allow people greater choice in where they live without clogging our highways.
My final item on this topic is to encourage people to continue to push for expansion of Amtrak. I know it is a third world rail system that rarely runs on time and is used mostly by students, foreign travelers, and the Amish. However, rail should be used more frequently for mid-distance trips instead of flying. As more people use rail and more importance is placed on developing it, the level of service will improve. And if high speed technology is put into place any trip under 600 miles will be faster by rail than by air. This is because unlike the airport, when you ride the train you do not wait in long security lines, you do not have to arrive hours ahead of time, you can carry on all the luggage you physically are able to so checking baggage and claiming it at the other end are eliminated, and every train station I has been more easily accessible than even the smallest most laid back of airports. I could go on about the wonderful things I have seen from the windows of trains and the fascinating people I have met on board, but I feel the financial and practical sides of it are more important to this nation. In the mean time though, give Amtrak a shot, you might get to where you are going a couple hours late, but you can eat well, sleep well, and have some fun doing it. And maybe you will come away like me, dreaming of the day when you can zip across America at 200 mph on a conveniently scheduled train instead of flying.
The City of Joliet has not done its part to encourage downtown redevelopment that would compliment commuter rail. There are numerous old buildings that could be redeveloped into commercial uses on the first floor and residential above. This is by far a better use that having vacant old department stores and empty storefronts. Joliet has the building stock to retain its historic downtown flavor while developing a vibrant mixed-use area. The other key is to provide enough parking for additional Metra riders to be possible. This can only be accomplished with conveniently located parking garages. This will not be inexpensive, but will be necessary if we want to create a healthy downtown and see new residents moving into something other than cookie cutter developments on the far west side.
Of specific importance to Crest Hill is the STAR line. This would be a line tying Joliet and Crest Hill to the west of northwest suburbs. Such a connection would allow people to work in those area, but live in Will County. This might bring additional development pressures to this area, but it is the responsibility of cities to continue to grow responsibly. The value of alternative transportation would be great. It would be a boon to the communities along the line and would allow people greater choice in where they live without clogging our highways.
My final item on this topic is to encourage people to continue to push for expansion of Amtrak. I know it is a third world rail system that rarely runs on time and is used mostly by students, foreign travelers, and the Amish. However, rail should be used more frequently for mid-distance trips instead of flying. As more people use rail and more importance is placed on developing it, the level of service will improve. And if high speed technology is put into place any trip under 600 miles will be faster by rail than by air. This is because unlike the airport, when you ride the train you do not wait in long security lines, you do not have to arrive hours ahead of time, you can carry on all the luggage you physically are able to so checking baggage and claiming it at the other end are eliminated, and every train station I has been more easily accessible than even the smallest most laid back of airports. I could go on about the wonderful things I have seen from the windows of trains and the fascinating people I have met on board, but I feel the financial and practical sides of it are more important to this nation. In the mean time though, give Amtrak a shot, you might get to where you are going a couple hours late, but you can eat well, sleep well, and have some fun doing it. And maybe you will come away like me, dreaming of the day when you can zip across America at 200 mph on a conveniently scheduled train instead of flying.
Caton Farm Road Bridge
In the 1960's when the City of Crest Hill was incorporated, a Comprehensive Plan was completed to outline the future of this city. Many items in that plan have come to fruition and in many ways we have achieved far more than that plan had laid out. However, one important item in that plan has been allowed to sit uncompleted for over 40 years now. That item is the construction of a bridge across the Des Plaines River connecting Caton Farm Road in Crest Hill and Bruce Road in Lockport.
The need for this bridge has only grown over the years and is now an item that should be of utmost importance. When the Division Street bridge closed in the 1980's we lost a connection to the east and were forced to either go through Joliet or take the two lane high level bridge at Renwick. As growth came to Will county in the 1990's, the traffic became more than the Renwick bridge could handle and backups became a part of daily life for many people. And now in 2007, we are just months away from the opening of I-355 to our east. A bridge at Caton Farm Road along with the upgrading of Bruce Road and eventual interchange at Bruce and I-355 would do more to improve the City of Crest Hill than anything else that has been done or contemplated in the last 40 years.
The bridge would tie Crest Hill into the Lockport and New Lenox areas and allow more people to easily shop, work and live in our city regardless of which side of the river other aspects of their lives are. Also, the bridge would allow residents of Crest Hill to get to the I-355 extension much quicker and easier than is currently possible. This would increase the demand for homes in Crest Hill as we became a better option for those commuting to jobs in DuPage county and elsewhere to our north. This increased demand would lead to higher home values, thereby enriching our residents.
A bridge is also vital to the redevelopment of Broadway as well as increased business on Theodore. Currently this area is located several miles from either the Renwick or Ruby bridges, thus limiting the number of people passing through the area. However, a bridge at Caton Farm road would draw large numbers of people close to this area of the city. The Crest Hill end of the Renwick bridge offers no opportunities for development because the land has been set aside as open space. However, the south side of Caton Farm Road is currently privately owned and could be developed in any manner that best serves the city. In addition, IL-53 south of Caton Farm would have the potential to be commercially developed once the bridge increased the traffic levels in that area. A healthy business community along IL-53, instead of a decaying industrial area, would be quite an asset for Crest Hill.
Our elected officials are working on getting this bridge built, however I feel that there is need to push harder on the State and Federal governments to get this project moving. 40 years has been far too long to wait for a project that has the potential to transform Crest Hill for the better. Crest Hill has seen development occur along the Weber Road corridor and will continue to see development along that road. A Caton Farm bridge would create two additional healthy and attractive development corridors, Caton Farm Road and Broadway Street (IL-53). This bridge literally is the bridge to the future for Crest Hill.
The need for this bridge has only grown over the years and is now an item that should be of utmost importance. When the Division Street bridge closed in the 1980's we lost a connection to the east and were forced to either go through Joliet or take the two lane high level bridge at Renwick. As growth came to Will county in the 1990's, the traffic became more than the Renwick bridge could handle and backups became a part of daily life for many people. And now in 2007, we are just months away from the opening of I-355 to our east. A bridge at Caton Farm Road along with the upgrading of Bruce Road and eventual interchange at Bruce and I-355 would do more to improve the City of Crest Hill than anything else that has been done or contemplated in the last 40 years.
The bridge would tie Crest Hill into the Lockport and New Lenox areas and allow more people to easily shop, work and live in our city regardless of which side of the river other aspects of their lives are. Also, the bridge would allow residents of Crest Hill to get to the I-355 extension much quicker and easier than is currently possible. This would increase the demand for homes in Crest Hill as we became a better option for those commuting to jobs in DuPage county and elsewhere to our north. This increased demand would lead to higher home values, thereby enriching our residents.
A bridge is also vital to the redevelopment of Broadway as well as increased business on Theodore. Currently this area is located several miles from either the Renwick or Ruby bridges, thus limiting the number of people passing through the area. However, a bridge at Caton Farm road would draw large numbers of people close to this area of the city. The Crest Hill end of the Renwick bridge offers no opportunities for development because the land has been set aside as open space. However, the south side of Caton Farm Road is currently privately owned and could be developed in any manner that best serves the city. In addition, IL-53 south of Caton Farm would have the potential to be commercially developed once the bridge increased the traffic levels in that area. A healthy business community along IL-53, instead of a decaying industrial area, would be quite an asset for Crest Hill.
Our elected officials are working on getting this bridge built, however I feel that there is need to push harder on the State and Federal governments to get this project moving. 40 years has been far too long to wait for a project that has the potential to transform Crest Hill for the better. Crest Hill has seen development occur along the Weber Road corridor and will continue to see development along that road. A Caton Farm bridge would create two additional healthy and attractive development corridors, Caton Farm Road and Broadway Street (IL-53). This bridge literally is the bridge to the future for Crest Hill.
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