Intrepid reporter Jonathan Ahl, the former WCBU news director who recently moved to Iowa, still has Bradley on his mind.
It seems Drake University offers incentives to its faculty (up to $2000 in down-payment and/or closing costs) to live near the school there. Would that work here? In fact, isn’t that just the kind of thing that the City is trying to encourage through their “urban living initiative”? Ahl reports:
I suggested to Bradley officials several times that some kind of program to encourage faculty and staff members to live in the Arbor, Moss-Bradley, and Uplands areas would be a good idea. I was told on several occasions that such a plan was “unfeasible”.
I guess Bradley just isn’t quite as creative or resourceful as Drake. Then again, it’s hard to encourage people to live in, say, the Arbor District, when you keep knocking down their houses.
Only $2000?! Peoria deserves better!
They may not give financial incentives to live in the west bluff, but Bradley partners with St. Mark’s in various ways, partially because they know that a good neighborhood school helps recruit good professors.
Speaking of professors living close to campus, not long ago a friend of mine ran across Joanne Glasser grocery shopping at the far North Knoxville Kroger.
Peoria may deserve better than $2,000, but by my calculation, $2,000 is better than nothing.
Jonathan, I’m not familiar with that around Drake, is it similar? Is the area surrounding Drake University the same as that around Bradley University…. surrounded by ” historic ” neighborhoods and commercial districts. ALSO… Peoria’s primarily a single-family housing market. Is Drake’s the same? Most of the residential stock around Bradley is very dated, to say the least, and overwhelmingly single-family houses. There, currently, aren’t many other suitable options (ex: condos/townhouses) available with modern amenities.
A financial incentive isn’t the ONLY decision that must be taken into consideration for residential consideration by Bradley faculty or anyone else moving into an area. Factors such as neighborhood accessibility and livability, residential stock, ample school location and quality, crime rate, etc.
The area surrounding Bradley University, including the Arbor District and the Uplands, is STILL in limbo with more construction upcoming (not just within the Bradley campus) and in the planning stages. It would be thrilling if a Drake-style initiative would work in Renaissance Park, but a couple thousand dollars isn’t enough to entice a wise homeowner to settle into a transitional area filled with uncertainty about it’s possible direction.
I was quite sarcastic…mocking the spirit of some of CJ’s posts.
Spirit of Peoria:
The area around Drake is eerily similar to the area around Bradley in almost every way. That includes everything from quality and kind of housing stock to the problems and benefits of the neighborhood.
$2000 isn’t going make the difference for most Bradley faculty/staff to move into the West Bluff. But it sends a powerful message about the University’s commitment to helping the neighborhoods.
As a former resident of Rebecca Place, if two or three of the houses on my street were owner occpupied by Bradley faculty/staff instead of college rentals, that would have made a HUGE difference.
Unless you are a firefighter, or something like that, is it really any business of your employer where you live?
@mouse: Isn’t it important for the employeer to make sure they provide a desireable work setting and neighborhood for their customers(students) and their employees?
I’ve visited Drake, I’ve walked much of their campus and nearby neighborhoods. Yes, as Mr. Ahl states, it’s very similar. Many single family homes, college rentals, nearby commmercial strips.
Actually, I don’t think fire and police departments should really have any say where you live either.
What does it say about a city when those who are hired to protect it won’t even live in it?
I know what you’re getting at Cory, but let’s not get too carried away with this. On an individual level, maybe it means their wife/husband works somewhere else and they want to live “in-between”? Maybe they want to be close to an aging relative? There are a thousand reasons people live where they live. Leaving aside the debate about firefighters, etc., most employers need to resist the temptation to become social engineers, and just stay out of that decision.
Don’t forget the school district.
Cory,
It means that the agency wants to hire the best possible person for the job regardless of where they live.