Developer outlines Brownfield TIF housing plan; council flags traffic and school proximity concerns

Developer Edwin Allen presented plans for a Brownfield TIF project on Sept. 16 and described the concept to the Galesburg City Council at its Oct. 6 meeting, saying the proposal would include about 47 single-family homes, two or three duplexes, and new street connections that could add exits on Blake Street and Battle Creek Street.

Mayor Linda Marble told the council the TIF would be structured so the city would still receive the existing ad valorem taxes but would also enter a community benefits agreement that could reimburse expenses incurred during construction—examples cited included DPW snowplowing and leaf collection while the project was active. Allen told the council he could build homes faster and at lower per-unit cost with TIF assistance, saying an estimated per-unit price might be about $400,000 without the TIF and about $330,000 with it. He also said the developer might lease roughly 20% of units initially to speed occupancy.

Councilmembers expressed concern about traffic implications, particularly because some proposed new connections are close to the school and could increase traffic during drop-off and pick-up times; Allen said he would commission a traffic study. Marble said the assessor will put numbers together to determine whether the proposal is feasible under the proposed TIF structure. The council did not vote on the TIF at the meeting.

Council members asked for further data from the developer and the assessor before taking a formal position. No dates were set for a follow-up briefing on the Brownfield proposal during this meeting.