A block of Paris Ave. — one block south of War Memorial Drive, between Wisconsin and Illinois avenues — looks like a “war zone” according to Tom Horstmann, Peoria Heights village administrator. Take a look for yourself:
Yep, pretty much. Here’s why:
The work on demolishing these houses to make way for a new strip mall has ground to a halt. The reason is a survey for asbestos required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
In the meantime, the place looks like Yucca Flats after the blast. And we all know how persnickety Peoria Heights is about how their village looks. This must be driving them crazy. [/sarcasm]
Incidentally, click on the link to the Times-Observer article. The really interesting part of the story is not the “war zone” comment. It’s the fact that the Village hasn’t seen any plans for the strip mall, doesn’t know who the tenants will be, and neither does the developer know who the tenants will be. I guess when they say they don’t make developers “jump through a lot of hoops,” they must mean they have no standards at all for development.
But the village is reportedly “excited” about the development anyway, even though they have no idea what kind of business will move in or any inkling of what it will look like. Wouldn’t it be a hoot if the tenants turned out to be a car wash and a payday loan establishment?
and a liquor store.
Left by mahkno on July 21st, 2008