Madison Street Parking / Eminent Domain
It seems that the issue on top of everyone’s mind right now is Madison Street parking. Accordingly, I have decided to make this the first topic. Feel free to comment with your own views. Depending on the comments that I receive, I will post remarks, clarifications, or responses to you comments. As I have stated before, I believe that good government includes dialog, so please feel free to send along your own comments:
The use of eminent domain is a very powerful and necessary tool that municipalities are granted as part of their “police powers.” Its purpose is to allow the village the ability to change land uses in such a way that the greater good of the community is served. Further, just as I have described it as a necessary power, it is also one that should be exercised in a deliberate manner, with great caution. In short, I believe that it should be used as a last resort, when all other options have been fully explored and evaluated.
Based on what I have heard and read regarding the Madison Street parking situation, this is not the case. The two main options that I believe were discarded to easily are the use of the former Mobil Station site at Madison and Des Plaines, and the broader subject of using surface parking rather than parking decks.
My recommendations regarding the situation would include contacting the owners of BOTH the Mobil Station (owned by Exxon Mobil Corp.) and the McDonald’s restaurant located directly adjacent to the south (presumably owned by the franchisee). If we were to assemble (combine) those two parcels, it would probably be large enough to do a mixed-use project that includes both retail/restaurant and a parking structure. As part of the deal, McDonalds could be moved closer to Madison Street (a move that I am sure they would be very interested in), additional retail could be added to Madison and/or Des Plaines, and significant parking could be added.
Further, the village could facilitate the development, but sell the land to a developer to build it. Assuming we want to control the parking, we could lease back the parking structure portion of the development on a long-term lease and allow the developer to sell the retail unit(s). In this scenario, the village’s upfront expense is minimized to some degree, the McDonald’s franchisee gets a better location, and the developer makes a profit. Also, parking at Des Plains Avenue would bring more foot traffic to that portion of Madison Street, which does not appear to be as busy as the area closer to Circle Avenue. It is really a win/win if it can happen.
Now don’t get me wrong. A deal like this is difficult to put together, and will have several stumbling blocks. However, it is worth looking into this kind of creative solution before imposing eminent domain.
Secondly, I would approach the homeowners of the previously identified parcels to see if any of them are interested in selling, without the threat of eminent domain. You may find that none of them do. However, what if there are two or three located right next to each other that were already thinking of moving? The whole project is much more accepted if the land was purchased from willing sellers, rather than forcing several families from their homes. It should be noted that this has reportedly taken place already, and that at least one owner has indicated that he/she may be willing to sell depending on the price.
Lastly is a word about structure vs. surface parking. It has been said that surface parking is preferred to a structure due to many factors, but mostly because of safety concerns. I agree with this assessment. Many people, including my wife, will almost never use a parking garage because they just don’t feel safe in them. That is why I agree with the general idea of not converting existing lots to garages. However, with the shortage of parking in the area, I think that any additional land acquired should be purchased with multi-level parking in mind. This would give a mix of open parking for those who are unwilling to use a garage, but increase the number of spaces that we can bring to the downtown area. We may also work with the business community to ask them to encourage their employees to use the garage spaces, so there are more surface spaces available to customers and residents.
Well, there you have it. What do you think? Are there better ideas out there that I am not thinking of? Does my plan seem to difficult to implement? Please, share your thoughts. If you don’t feel comfortable posting where anyone can read your message, email me at: Plepel2007@hotmail.com .
The use of eminent domain is a very powerful and necessary tool that municipalities are granted as part of their “police powers.” Its purpose is to allow the village the ability to change land uses in such a way that the greater good of the community is served. Further, just as I have described it as a necessary power, it is also one that should be exercised in a deliberate manner, with great caution. In short, I believe that it should be used as a last resort, when all other options have been fully explored and evaluated.
Based on what I have heard and read regarding the Madison Street parking situation, this is not the case. The two main options that I believe were discarded to easily are the use of the former Mobil Station site at Madison and Des Plaines, and the broader subject of using surface parking rather than parking decks.
My recommendations regarding the situation would include contacting the owners of BOTH the Mobil Station (owned by Exxon Mobil Corp.) and the McDonald’s restaurant located directly adjacent to the south (presumably owned by the franchisee). If we were to assemble (combine) those two parcels, it would probably be large enough to do a mixed-use project that includes both retail/restaurant and a parking structure. As part of the deal, McDonalds could be moved closer to Madison Street (a move that I am sure they would be very interested in), additional retail could be added to Madison and/or Des Plaines, and significant parking could be added.
Further, the village could facilitate the development, but sell the land to a developer to build it. Assuming we want to control the parking, we could lease back the parking structure portion of the development on a long-term lease and allow the developer to sell the retail unit(s). In this scenario, the village’s upfront expense is minimized to some degree, the McDonald’s franchisee gets a better location, and the developer makes a profit. Also, parking at Des Plains Avenue would bring more foot traffic to that portion of Madison Street, which does not appear to be as busy as the area closer to Circle Avenue. It is really a win/win if it can happen.
Now don’t get me wrong. A deal like this is difficult to put together, and will have several stumbling blocks. However, it is worth looking into this kind of creative solution before imposing eminent domain.
Secondly, I would approach the homeowners of the previously identified parcels to see if any of them are interested in selling, without the threat of eminent domain. You may find that none of them do. However, what if there are two or three located right next to each other that were already thinking of moving? The whole project is much more accepted if the land was purchased from willing sellers, rather than forcing several families from their homes. It should be noted that this has reportedly taken place already, and that at least one owner has indicated that he/she may be willing to sell depending on the price.
Lastly is a word about structure vs. surface parking. It has been said that surface parking is preferred to a structure due to many factors, but mostly because of safety concerns. I agree with this assessment. Many people, including my wife, will almost never use a parking garage because they just don’t feel safe in them. That is why I agree with the general idea of not converting existing lots to garages. However, with the shortage of parking in the area, I think that any additional land acquired should be purchased with multi-level parking in mind. This would give a mix of open parking for those who are unwilling to use a garage, but increase the number of spaces that we can bring to the downtown area. We may also work with the business community to ask them to encourage their employees to use the garage spaces, so there are more surface spaces available to customers and residents.
Well, there you have it. What do you think? Are there better ideas out there that I am not thinking of? Does my plan seem to difficult to implement? Please, share your thoughts. If you don’t feel comfortable posting where anyone can read your message, email me at: Plepel2007@hotmail.com .
posted by John Plepel | Monday, January 08, 2007
1 Comments:
The McD's/Mobil idea sounds interesting, but is it posible? Don't you think we need more attainable goals for the Madison St. parking issue?
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