Lately I’ve been driving around South Peoria. I’ve been checking out the housing stock, the parks, the library, the business facades. It’s common knowledge that this is an economically-depressed area, but if you haven’t driven around there, you really need to see it. To say there needs to be more investment on the south [...]
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Not long ago there was a lot of optimism regarding Renaissance Park, formerly known as the Med-Tech District. Work is still progressing on the PeoriaNEXT Innovation Center, but the next big project that was supposed to land on West Main street has gone south — to Southtown, that is. A joint venture that includes [...] Several weeks ago, a couple of area hospitals stared down Select Medical of Pennsylvania’s plan to put a long-term acute-care hospital on the last unsold parcel of Southtown. At that time, they said they were looking to locate a similar establishment in Renaissance Park. Then, several days ago, they shocked Peoria by considering the [...] The council did the right thing by not delaying the vote on the Southtown project any longer. The motion to defer was overturned and the council voted 10-1 to approve the project. I wasn’t too thrilled about delaying the vote at the request of Methodist or OSF, but I thought Gary Sandberg had some [...] Second-district councilperson Barbara Van Auken laid out her case for granting “the courtesy of a deferral” to OSF, Methodist, or any business that has shown a long-term commitment to the city/community. She wanted to make it clear that by doing so, she’s not favoring one project over another. I believe her. But, I can’t help [...] The Journal Star reports today that Methodist Medical Center, along with RehabCare of St. Louis, is going to try to bring a long-term, acute-care facility to Renaissance Park (f.k.a. The Med-Tech District). This is the same kind of facility Select Medical would like to bring to Southtown. However, the state will likely approve only [...] Polly Peoria has the right take on the Southtown deal: Peoria very well might be better off if Methodist and/or OSF build their planned facilities and the would be buyer of the vacant lot be shut out. However, that is the role of the market place, not local government (no matter how noble their [...] Fifth-district councilman Patrick Nichting doesn’t want to wait three weeks to decide on Select Medical Corporation’s offer to buy a four-acre plot in Southtown. A motion to reconsider comes up Tuesday night: Communication from Council Member Nichting Requesting RECONSIDERATION OF THE MOTION TO DEFER ITEM NO. 06-026 Regarding OPTION AGREEMENT with SELECT MEDICAL CORPORATION, [...] An anonymous commenter wondered why there has been no discussion from bloggers about the council’s deferral of a $9 million development in Southtown. So, anon, this is for you. A Pennsylvania company wants to build a long-term acute care hospital. They’re not asking for any financial assistance from the city, and are willing to pay [...] |
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