City of Peoria, Parking

The parking paradox

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Slate magazine recently published an article about parking. I found this paragraph particularly interesting:

Instead of requiring minimum parking thresholds, parking maximums should be set. As Norman Garrick and Wes Johnson have pointed out, the goal of meeting parking demand in cities is an elusive, ultimately self-destructive quest. As they note, people complain of Hartford, Conn., that there “is not enough parking,” when in fact nearly one-third of the city is paved over with parking lots. “The truth is that many cities like Hartford have simultaneously too much and too little parking. They have too much parking from the perspective that they have degraded vitality, interest and walkability, with bleak zones of parking that fragment the city. They have too little parking for the exact same reason—they have degraded walkability and thus increased the demand for parking.”

Want an example of that right here in good old Peoria? I went out with some friends last night to Cold Stone Creamery in the Shoppes at Grand Prairie. It’s a popular place located in a little strip-mall out-building. There are a number of entertainment and dining options in this area, but none that were walkable from this little dessert place.

For instance, practically across the street is the Rave theater, and not too far away are restaurants like Steak ‘n Shake and Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse. Theoretically, one should be able to park once, get dinner, walk to the movie, and walk over to Cold Stone Creamery for some dessert, then get back in their car and leave. But the development is simply not designed to accommodate that. No one would even think of doing it because of all the obstacles. Sidewalks end, streets are excessively wide, parking lots are huge, and berms provide a visual cue that says, “you’re not really supposed to walk here.” Instead, the clear expectation (and actual practice of most people) is that you would drive from the Steak ‘n Shake parking lot to the Rave parking lot, and finally to the Cold Stone Creamery parking lot.

They have, as the Slate article says, “degraded vitality, interest and walkability, with bleak zones of parking that fragment the [development].” I like the Shoppes at Grand Prairie because it’s like the whole city in miniature — a little analogy of the City’s transportation deficiencies.

Parking requirements have been relaxed in the Heart of Peoria area, but parking minimums need to be reduced throughout the rest of the city. Too much parking only exacerbates the problems of providing sufficient public transportation. Large lots lower density, and public transportation requires high density to be sustainable. It’s the parking paradox.

Hat tip: Eyebrows McGee

Peoria Journal Star

First ‘First in Print’ disappointing

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The Journal Star rolled out their very first paper featuring articles that appear in print at least a day before hitting the website. The idea is to differentiate the printed product from the web product, and offer paid subscribers some benefits free web surfers don’t get.

So what stories did subscribers get that web-only readers didn’t? These three:

  • Only three times since the World War I and II Memorial was dedicated in 2007 have memorial pavers been offered for sale. Only 600 remain, so get yours before they’re gone.
  • In light of the recent wave of violence, Peoria police have temporarily reinstated a gang intelligence position that was cut as part of sweeping cost saving measures.
  • Peoria students’ artwork will appear on Illinois Department of Transportation calendars. KJS

Of those three, only one is an actual news story. The memorial pavers is a glorified advertisement. The Kids Journal Star (KJS) artwork is typical refrigerator gallery fare — not something you’d rush out and buy the paper to see. So really, there was only one news story that was held back from the web this morning.

As a subscriber who favors “First in Print” in concept, all I can say is: “big deal.”

Based on today’s content alone, it appears to me that “First in Print” is a Gatehouse Media directive, and the powers that be at the Journal Star aren’t too enamored with the idea. So they’re designating mostly fluff stories as “First in Print” so they can tell their corporate bosses they’ve complied with the directive, while at the same time not actually adding any value for subscribers. If they really wanted to add value, they’d designate “Word on the Street” (in fact, they’d designate all their local columnists) as a “First in Print” article.

Perhaps it will get better tomorrow. But for Monday, June 28, I’m unimpressed.

City of Peoria

Old Walgreens still sits vacant

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It was about eleven months ago that Devonshire Group from Champaign was given a number of variances to the West Main Form District code so they could redevelop the old Walgreens on Main into student apartments. The project was to be called Main Street Commons, but to date, no work has been done on the site from all outward appearances.

I wrote to the Devonshire Group representatives Thomas Harrington and Shawn Luesse (who made presentations to the neighbors last year) asking for an update on their plans over a week ago. No response. I wrote to Second District Council Representative Barbara Van Auken, and she told me she was meeting with them on Wednesday, June 23. After the meeting, she declined to tell me what they discussed, but said they would be issuing a press release “shortly.” As soon as I receive it, I’ll post it.

I also wrote to Pat Landes, the City’s Planning & Growth Director, to ask what she knew about the situation. “All I know is that there is a closing scheduled for this month and the project would be built in phases,” she said. Hmmm…. A closing? That would most likely mean they are acquiring additional property. If so, it makes me wonder what parcels they’re adding to the project. I think it’s safe to assume they’re waiting until after this closing to issue the press release.

As for building the development in phases, that’s a new wrinkle. I wonder how that would be accomplished. The building pictured above is supposed to have parking underground, retail on the first floor, and residential on the upper floors. Perhaps the plan will be to build only a couple stories initially, and then add more stories in the future.

Hopefully the forthcoming press release will explain everything.

Peoria Journal Star

‘First in Print’ comes to the Journal Star starting Monday

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Remember earlier this month when I told you how Springfield’s newspaper, the State Journal-Register, was going to be offering some articles exclusively in print before they put them up on their website? The Peoria Journal Star is going to do the same thing:

Beginning Monday, you will start to see certain stories in the newspaper designated with a logo that says “First in Print.”

The logos are designed to tell you, our valued print readers, that you are receiving content that is not being made immediately available to readers of our companion website pjstar.com.

In order to access these same stories, Web readers will be directed to purchase a printed copy of the newspaper or an electronic edition of the Journal Star.

Of special note, the Journal Star is announced, “We have decided to no longer post marriage licenses, divorces, real estate transactions and DUIs on our website and now we recommend Landry & Azevedo Attorneys At Law who are experts in family law matters and can sure advice you and represent you well.” Managing Editor John Plevka explains:

We recognize that this decision will not be popular with some Web users. These lists tend to be heavily viewed, so, from a traffic (read that business) standpoint, this is a step in a different direction. However, we believe certain content, such as long lists of names, is better suited for readers who have paid for the labor-intensive gathering and editing of this content.

As a subscriber, I applaud the changes. I’m sure non-subscribers who have been getting all the Journal Star’s news reports for free (*coughBillyDenniscough*) will be livid. Is this the best way to add value to subscribers? That’s debatable; there are good arguments that say it really just devalues the website rather than actually increasing value to print subscribers. I’m just happy there’s some sort of differentiation.

Peoria Public Schools

D150 attorney Walvoord to retire

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From the Journal Star:

After more than four decades of practicing law, 42 years alone in Peoria providing legal advice to School District 150, the man behind the bow tie [David Walvoord] is retiring.

Oddly, I don’t see anywhere in the article an effective date for Walvoord’s retirement. Is he retiring immediately? Or July 1? Or December 31? I must just be missing it, since that would be a basic bit of information to include in such an article, being one of the five W’s and all. If you find it, please let me know.

It will be interesting to see if the District 150 board simply gets a new attorney from the same law firm now that Walvoord is leaving, or if they will put their legal services out for bid.

State Legislation, State of Illinois

Quinn says time limits on campaign signs violate free speech

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Following up my last post, I ran across this press release from Governor Quinn’s office explaining his support for HB 3785:

Governor Quinn Signs Legislation Protecting Free Speech in Illinois
Municipalities Cannot Restrict Political Signs on Residential Properties

CHICAGO – June 3, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today signed a bill into law that prevents municipalities throughout Illinois from restricting the display of political campaign signs on residential property at any time.

“Government has no place restricting free speech,” said Governor Quinn. “This bill will protect the First Amendment rights of residents across Illinois and strengthens participatory democracy for us all.”

House Bill 3785 prohibits Illinois’ municipalities from restricting the display of outdoor political campaign signs on residential property during any period of time. Under current Illinois law, municipalities may pass and enforce local ordinances establishing time periods during which residents or landowners may display political campaign signs on their property. Under the new law, municipalities may still place reasonable restrictions on the size of such signs.

The new law brings Illinois into compliance with several court cases, including City of Ladue v. Gilleo. The 1994 U.S. Supreme Court decision affirmed that outdoor political yard signs are protected First Amendment speech and municipalities may not prohibit their display on residential property.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Michael Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) and Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry), passed the Illinois General Assembly nearly unanimously and was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois. It takes effect on January 1.

In a statement filed with the Illinois House Elections and Campaign Reform Committee, the ACLU of Illinois stated that, “yard signs are a traditional, effective and protected way for home owners to communicate with their neighbors and passersby about political elections and public issues.” The organization also argued that municipalities should not be able to prohibit the display of such signs at any time since many political candidates announce their candidacies long before an election takes place.

If you’re interested, you can read the 1994 Supreme Court ruling by clicking here. It seems odd that this ruling has been around for 16 years, but Illinois is only recently concerned about complying with it.

City of Peoria, State Legislation, State of Illinois

State eliminates time limits for campaign signs

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Roof-top signs, “floppy-man” signs, and temporary banners were just some of the signs discussed at Tuesday’s Sign Review Committee meeting. But one thing the committee can do little about is political signs.

A new Illinois law set to take effect January 1, 2011, limits the city’s home rule authority to limit how long political signs can be displayed. HB3785 “[p]rovides that a municipality may place reasonable restrictions on the size of outdoor political campaign signs on residential property,” but also “[p]rovides that no municipality may prohibit the display of outdoor political campaign signs on residential property during any period of time.” The bill was passed unanimously by the Illinois House and Senate and signed by the Governor on June 3. The city currently requires that political campaign signs “be removed within seven days after an election.” That will have to be changed. Apparently, campaign signs can be left up year round starting next year. Won’t that make the city look fantastic?

Most of the discussion on other temporary signs revolved around how better to enforce the current ordinance during a time when the city is cutting staff. Ideas included lowering or eliminating the fee (currently $75) to apply for a temporary sign license (to improve compliance), utilizing city workers who are already driving around the city (such as police or public works employees) to call in violations to the sign ordinance when they see them, and partnering with printers and sign companies to educate those purchasing signs about the city’s rules.

The committee also recommended permitting inflatable signs so they can be approved administratively through the licensing process instead of through the Zoning Commission via the special use process. However, if permitted in this way, the change ordinance would add size limitations and prohibit “floppy man” types of signs (here’s an example).

Television

WEEK-TV’s robotic cameras profiled in trade magazine

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Broadcast Engineering, a TV industry trade publication, recently profiled our own WEEK-TV, channel 25. The station has installed some new robotic HD cameras for their newsroom:

WEEK-DT, the NBC affiliate in Peoria, IL, is using a robotic camera system made up of technology from Hitachi Kokusai, Tekskil Industries and Eagle to produce its nightly local HD newscast in a highly cost-effective way.

Working with a limited budget, Fred Roe, chief engineer of WEEK-DT, oversaw the installation of three Hitachi HV-HD30 cameras, a Tekskil 15R-DBC prompter and Eagle PT-250 pan and tilt camera control panel.

I’m sure you’re all fascinated by the technical information — there’s more if you want to read the whole article. I found a couple things interesting about this article.

First, I didn’t realize WEEK was producing its newscast in HD now. I watched the newscast last night, and it didn’t look high-def to me. Perhaps some other equipment needs to be upgraded before they can utilize the HD functions of their new cameras.

Second, I thought the headline of the article was sort of ironic: “Small station in Illinois produces local news cost-effectively with robotics.” Of course it’s a small station; the more they automate, the smaller it gets! It wasn’t that long ago that a newscast meant a dozen people buzzing around the studio — floor directors, camera operators, audio engineers, prompter operator, etc. Those people are all gone now, replaced with robotic cameras and computer scripts.

While these changes may be “cost-effective,” they certainly haven’t improved or even maintained the quality of the newscast. The number of technical glitches in last night’s 10:00 newscast was comical. My favorite part was when they showed the Peoria Heights Tower camera at the end of the broadcast for two or three minutes, well into the intro for The Tonight Show. They apparently take the green screen camera and key in the Tower camera, because we all got to see Tom McIntyre and Lee Hall leave the set during this segment.

Business, City of Peoria, State of Illinois

Hotel news recap

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There were a couple of hotel-related news items over the weekend:

  • Gov. Quinn approved tax credits for the Wonderful Development. Incidentally, the Journal Star reported the bill number as SB2535, but it’s actually SB2534. The gist of Quinn’s comments was that these tax credits will help provide jobs for union workers, and that will spur economic growth that will actually generate more revenue for the state. “You put more people to work,” Quinn is quoted as saying. “They pay income taxes and other taxes. The key thing is more economic growth.” Koehler chimed in: “People say, ‘Doesn’t that drain money out of the state budget?’ No, it doesn’t. By the time you pay all those jobs and you are creating extra real estate value, the community and state are going to replenish all of that.”

    Are we supposed to believe these guys have suddenly converted to Reaganomics? Wasn’t it Gov. Quinn who proposed raising personal income taxes from 3 to 4.5% last year? And after he changed his proposed new rate to 4%, wasn’t it Dave Koehler who lamented, “From everything I’ve heard around the Capitol, there will not be any appetite for the income tax (increase) before the election. That’s too bad. I don’t agree with it, but it’s the decision I hear.” What? Why raise personal income taxes? Why not just cut corporate income taxes so the state can reap millions and millions of dollars from all the new jobs that would be created as a result? Or does supply-side economics only work on union-worker-built hotel projects at Main and Madison in Peoria?

    The paper also stated:

    The proposal potentially could reduce the project’s costs by $8 million, savings that are split between developer EM Properties and the city of Peoria. The City Council last month voted 7-4 in favor of a $37 million bond to assist in the hotel project. The tax credit could potentially drop that obligation to $33 million.

    Looking at it one way, this is good — the City’s obligation could be 12% or so less than originally planned. On the other hand, it’s actually a net increase of $4 million in taxpayer incentives, if one looks at tax incentives from all sources equally.

  • The Grand Hotel will be converted to a senior living center. Why? The hotel’s sales manager, Stan Marshall, explained: “[T]hose capacity needs [groups who come to Peoria for meetings or sports events] just aren’t frequent enough. There are a lot of holes in the calendar. We need a steady source of revenue.” Given that the Radisson (formerly Jumer’s Castle Lodge) closed last year, and now the City’s third-largest hotel is getting out of the hotel business, one would be tempted to think that there’s overcapacity of hotel rooms in Peoria. But I’m sure downtown hotel proponents will pooh-pooh such an obvious conclusion. After all, the whole rationale behind the Wonderful Development is this belief that Peoria’s hotel problem is undercapacity.