Local: City taking a walk on sidewalk responsibilities
Here is an important factoid from last night’s Peoria City Council policy session on sidewalks: The city has an estimated $100 million in unmet sidewalk needs, including repairs and installation. The city will spend about $1.3 million on sidewalks this year. At that rate — assuming no additional deterioration of existing sidewalks, we ought to be caught up in 79 years.
This is one of those situations in which some Peorians toss up their hands and say the problem can’t be fixed, so let’s not even try. But a pragmatic long-range approach is possible. An plan should include the following:
- The city must develop specific criteria for determining which sidewalks and curbs should have priority. Factors should include closeness to nearby schools and the condition of the sidewalks themselves. As council member Barbara Van Auken correctly pointed out, getting a new sidewalk in a neighborhood ought to not depend on a council member’s ability to work the system, or a neighborhood association’s ability to complain more effectively.
- Obviously, the city needs to commit more money on this essential city service and less on stuff they think might, maybe, ought to, could have boost revenue through economic development. Better sidewalks is not only an essential city service, its also a livability issue.
- Where would the money come from? How about a $1 surcharge on every ticket sold to an event at the Peoria Civic Center, and use all the money to support the city’s sidewalk program? Work for me. The city thinks nothing of taxing poor people who eat at McDonald’s to support
operaBradley Basketball at the Peoria Civic Center, so why not taxopera-goersBU fans to repair crumbling sidewalks in poor neighborhoods? - The city must stop approving new subdivisions, shopping centers, etc. that do NOT have sidewalks. The city still allows this to happen, even as it deals with very old neighborhoods that never did have them. Why in the world does the city do this? As is usually the case,the city cannot say no to a developer.
Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
FYI – Opera Illinois hasn’t held a performance at the Civic Center in years. The facility is too expensive and the Opera company is way too broke.
So, maybe I ought to change my post.
ahem.
Why always rip on the developers? If it wasn’t for them who will build stuff. I am not sure what projects you are talking about not putting in sidewalks but I have noticed that when they built the new Burger King and Chinese restaurant on University they made the developer put in new walks out front and all new landscaping.
People who have not built a commercial building in Peoria have no idea how many codes and laws have to be followed and how expensive it is. On one hand people say everything goes to East Peoria because Peoria is not business friendly but then people complain that Peoria gives developers too much.
Which is it??
There were two recent developments in the 5th district that B. Manning pushed (a little) to have sidewalks required (one was strip mall near Willow Knolls and Radnor) and then backed down. Nichting argued against sidewalks/Sandburg argued for sidewalks. In the end the developers had to agree to an escrow account for putting in sidewalks in the future.
The city needs to stop annexing more land, period. We can’t afford it. We need to focus on the city we already have instead of continuing to chase development on the fringe of town. What’s the incentive to redevelop what we already have when the city handsomely rewards greenfield developments to the north?
Always railing on the Peoria Civic Center and it’s tenants. Why should that entity pay for sidewalks all over town? Here’s my idea: “everyone who operates and contributes to a blog in Peoria will have their taxes raised accordingly to help pay for sidewalk.” Sounds just as silly, doesn’t it?