Wall of Shame
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Who owns that blighted property? Good luck with that!
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Titled “Anonymous Owner, L.L.C.: Why It Has Become So Easy to Hide in the Housing Market”, this article by the NYT explains how blighted property owners can hide from cities, neighbors, and tenants. Neighbors of dilapidated rental property in Springfield are plenty familiar with the fact of unknown property owners, which can be used to…
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Council denies public input to all development projects under 12 acres
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On Tuesday, May 16, the Springfield City Council voted to radically alter the definition of Large Scale Development to only include projects over 12 acres in size (previously the definition was any project over 1/2 acres involving 2 or more buildings, and any project over 5 acres regardless of how many buildings.) The council vote effectively…
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Springfield ICON: Oppose change to Large Scale Development planning
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The Springfield ICON Steering Committee wants you to know you can do something TODAY to limit urban sprawl, to support city planning, and to avoid having your city taxes spread over an even-larger area, which reduces funds for existing neighborhoods for infrastructure, police, fire, leaf & branch pickup, and snow removal. Tonight, on May 16,…
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Harvard Park Alley Clean Up
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Just from the alleys in Harvard Park. Great workers in Harvard Park Friday afternoon and Saturday morning clearing out bulky items and “abandoned” garbage from the alleys. Wonderful workers from City Public Works will pick up and dispose of. Waste haulers are not being required to “DO YOUR JOB!” If so, this pile of…
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City Budget Razes Demolition Efforts
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We’re disappointed that the proposed City of Springfield budget will not match 2014 funds for demolishing Springfield’s worst properties. While we applaud the increased number of properties demolished in the past 4 years, there’s more work to do. With a backlog of properties waiting to be torn down, older Springfield neighborhood residents still live next…
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Crime-Free Housing Ordinances: middle ground leaves room for partnership & improvement
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Attached is an article from the October 2014 issue of the Illinois Realtor newsletter. Although the article – by Assistant Director of Advocacy and Local Issues Mike Scobey – argues against some local Crime-Free Housing Ordinances, several statements are in sync with ICON’s goal of improving the quality of life for residents in older neighborhoods:…
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City Legal interpretation of Chronic Nuisance Ordinance hamstrings Bel-Aire cleanup
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At City Council’s Committee of the Whole last night, aldermen and attendees were told the chronic nuisance ordinance only applies to specific units of a multi-unit residential housing property. Pattern of Renting to Problem Tenants The result is that if the landlord evicts a resident whose actions caused a police report under the ordinance, the…
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Swing vote defeats maintenance of 325 miles of Springfield roads
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ICON’s support of a 1% sales tax increase to enhance the infrastructure of the city was defeated by one swing vote. The Council did approve a .5% increase, but that will only help fill 325 miles of pot holes for the next three years. There is no money in the ordinance for maintaining the other…
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Dave Bakke March 30: Some criticisms of Springfield justified
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ICON applauds Dave Bakke for his column March 30 – we wish we had written it. ICON is all about making Springfield a better place to work, live and do business – for ALL of Springfield. Along with neighborhood groups such as Enos Park and MacArthur Boulevard, which have master plans in place for intentional…
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Learn the Truth About the Proposed Garbage Ordinance
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As reported in the SJ-R, local Waste Haulers are spreading misinformation in at attempt to sway the Springfield City Council to abandon ordinance changes that would help clean up Springfield by ensuring all residents have garbage service. “Lake Area’s letter and website is filled with scare tactics and factual inaccuracies intended to provoke and enrage…
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Jeers to “No” votes on the noise ordinance
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On Tuesday night, the City Council voted 6-4 AGAINST the noise ordinance that ICON had requested as a means of bringing peace and quiet to the older neighborhoods that are frequently plagued with thumping car stereos. Read details from the City Council Minutes May 18, 2010 The original motion to place 2010-161 on final passage…