Council keeping their promise to help existing business

The City of Mattoon has provided over $140,000 in loans and TIF Grants for the development of a strip mall along Lake Land Boulevard. They have also provided over $500,000 in assistance to Justrite Manufacturing for relocating to the Mattoon Enterprise Park. And the City provided up to $200,000 to 750 Broadway LLC for work on the former Blaw-Knox site. Coles County Mental Health has since purchased the office buildings to move all of their offices under one roof.

When the members of the City Council were elected, they pledged to help existing businesses expand and stay in the community. They have held true to this promise as shown above. These projects will not only retain jobs, but add a few as well.

While these projects are a huge positive in the community, they also will leave three good buildings vacant in town. Subway plans to move into the new strip mall. When Justrite moves, they will leave their existing building empty. This building along Route 121 was originally built for the Brown Shoe Factory. Justrite has been here since 1973. And Coles County Mental Health will vacate the former Houts Haus Restaurant on Charleston Avenue.

These vacant buildings represent some prime redevelopment opportunities in the Mattoon area. The existing occupants are not leaving them because of disrepair. They have simply outgrown the facilities. Filling these buildings while they are still in prime condition should be a priority for the City.

The development of Enterprise Park is good. But we need to be careful that its creation doesn’t leave vacant buildings in other industrial zones. The redevelopment of the Blaw-Knox property prevents that site from becoming an eyesore. But we need to be careful that it doesn’t create eyesores, elsewhere. And the building of a new strip mall within the TIF District will generate TIF money for years to come. But we can’t neglect sites just outside of the TIF zone.

The Council has taken a step in the right direction in helping existing companies expand. It is time to take the next step and fill their former locations with new companies.

What is the oldest building on Broadway?

In May of 1866, Farmer’s Merchants Bank opened at 1801 Broadway. Two years later Craig and Craig Attorneys opened upstairs. April 29, 1910, Central National Bank is founded at the former Farmer and Merchants Bank. Craig and Craig Attorneys were still there.

In 1963, after the Clarke Theater closed, Central National Bank acquired the former Figenbaum building next door and renovated both buildings. They replaced the façade so the buildings look like one continuous building. If you look at the windows on the second floor, you will notice the west three windows are spaced differently than the others. These are part of the Figenbaum building.

In 1971, Central National Bank moved to their new building at 14th and Charleston. Craig and Craig Attorneys have renovated the buildings once again and are still located there. The building remains largely as it was built in 1866.

One year before the Merchants Bank, the National Bank was charted at 1613 Broadway. The National Bank was the first bank in the state to open under the new federal system to “provide a national currency”. It can be seen in old pictures and drawings featuring the Dole House.

On July 1, 1911, Mattoon National Bank and First National Bank merged and moved into their new building at 1638 Broadway. This left the building at 1613 Broadway vacant.

The building was purchased by S.G. Auer and renovated for his shoe store. Rebuilt is a more accurate description. According to Auer, the building was stripped down to timbers and joists to support the standing walls but most were replaced. Old joist and brick were used in reconstruction as far as they were good and sound.

In 1964, Osco Drugs purchased 1611 and 1613 Broadway and renovated the 7000 square feet of space for their 85th store. The structure was almost lost when a cast iron support settled almost 5 inches after workers cut apart a header. But the building was repaired and Osco covered the facades of both buildings with the green tiles that remain today.

The building was in jeopardy once again in 1971 when Hotel Byers was razed and the stability of the common wall was questioned. This is the same wall Mr. Auer was so careful to support in his 1911 renovations. The City split the cost of the brick wall that reinforces the wall to this day. The wall cost more than the actual demolition of the hotel. D to Z sports opened here in 1978.

Seven years before the construction of the National Bank, The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was constructed at 1321 Broadway. This was in 1859. The basement of this church was used as a hospital during the Civil War. Mattoon was an exchange point for soldiers on their way to and from the war front. Many injured and sick passed through town and a hospital was needed to care for them. In 1863, the basement Presbyterian Church was fitted to serve as a hospital.

Not only did the building serve as a hospital during the war, but also a jail. 26 prisoners known as “copperheads” (a northerner sympathetic to the southern cause) from the famous Charleston riot were held at the church for several days until they were transferred into federal custody.

The original building was replaced in 1895, but elements from that building were used for the new one. There have been several alterations to the building over the years, including an addition on the north side that covers one of the stained glass windows.

The Presbyterian’s moved out and the Broadway Christian Church later occupied the building. In 1977, the First Alliance Church began holding services here. They moved out in 2003 and the church was recently purchased by Pastor Ron Veach of Mississippi and will soon be in use once again.
To the best of my knowledge, Craig and Craig Attorneys is the oldest original building left on Broadway. Elements of the D to Z building and the former Broadway Christian Church (soon to be Apostolic Assembly Church) predate Craig and Craig. But the bulk of those buildings were rebuilt at a later date. If anyone has knowledge of an older building, please drop me an e-mail.

Lets try this zoning thing again

I got more feedback on last week’s column then any other; most stating their opposition to countywide zoning. I don’t think I clearly gave my position on the topic. My point in my column last week was that zoning, in its current form, is not good and other options should be studied. Performance zoning is one of those alternatives.

I had some others read last weeks column and they said I should have explained the difference between traditional and performance zoning better. It’s a pretty technical subject, and I wasn't going to write on it because unless, you know the topic, you're probably not going to fully understand it. I'm afraid that's the case. Even the editor missed the point of the piece when he wrote the headline.

Euclidian Zoning, the system used by both Mattoon and Charleston, separates land uses and discourages interaction between them. I would even go as far as calling for the cities to repeal their current zoning ordinances for something that promotes mixed use neighborhoods.

The rigid land use boundaries increase one’s dependability on their automobile, which leads to an array of other problems. Increased traffic and not enough parking are just a couple. And with the distances between residential and commercial areas increasing, every licensed driver requires their own vehicle. Newer subdivisions often have covenants prohibiting vehicles to be stored outside, so homeowners end up needing three and four car garages. Treating this problem by adding parking and widening streets is like treating obesity by loosening your belt.

Since Performance zoning doesn’t have the rigid land use requirements of Euclidian zoning, there is more flexibility in the rural areas providing landowners more development options than is the case with traditional agricultural zoning. This includes clustering home uses that are compatible with farming. It also integrates non-contiguous development in cluster developments, which can be used to create small, self-sustaining rural communities.

Looking at it from the legislative side, performance ordinances use a capacity analysis to control development. Availability of water, soil types for septic systems, and road capacity are all factors used to determine the district density. For example, a zoning district might permit two-acre lots, but an analysis of road capacity only allows one home per 10 acres before the road is overloaded. The capacity analysis would control until that threshold was reached.

Anyway, I wanted to revisit the subject to clear up any confusion left by last weeks column. The headline didn’t really make the point I was trying to make in the piece. The subject is pretty technical and the terms overlap making it hard to understand. I am against zoning in the form that the Mattoon and Charleston have and don't think the County should have the same system.

Traditional Zoning vs. Performance Zoning

March 17, 2006
By Chris Rankin
As the County inches closer to adopting a comprehensive plan, the debate on countywide zoning heats up. Zoning is implemented to regulate activities allowed on particular lots by designating certain areas to certain uses, typically residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural.

New York City adopted the first zoning regulations to apply city-wide in 1916 as a reaction to construction of The Equitable Building. The tall building cast long shadows over the neighborhood, drawing complaints from the citizens. Zoning was legitimized in 1926 when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Village of Euchlid, Ohio in a case against Ambler Realty on the zoning of a residential neigborhood where Ambler wanted to develop industrial. This precedent leads to the reference of Euclidian Zoning.

Zoning was an excellent tool throughout the 20th Century by separating residential areas from polluting, noisy factories. Zoning became the primary instrument for cities to regulate land uses.

While separation of land uses seemed important in the past, many now see it as outdated. The procedure creates areas of similar land uses and limits interaction between them. The general purpose of zoning is to define the nature of development in an area. But it doesn’t allow for the constantly changing needs of consumers and businesses. By dictating a specific outcome for an area years in advance, zoning suppresses this evolutionary process.

While traditional zoning has its shortcomings, it is the most common way for officials to regulate some problems Coles County is currently facing. The new interchange along Interstate 57 does not currently fall under the jurisdiction of either Mattoon of Charleston. The County will regulate any development here. Without land use regulations, almost any type of establishment can build here, including adult entertainment establishments.

There is also a need to curb the increasing number of junkyards filling up rural Coles County. The placement of junk trailers a stone throw from the historic Moore Home shows a lack of planning like no other in the County. We must address these issues, but make sure we use the best tools at our disposal.

Performance Zoning is an alternative to traditional zoning that is being implemented by communities across the country. The concept works well for rural, undeveloped areas looking for control over developments in their communities.

This form of land use regulations applies a more “hands off” approach for government. Performance regulations control the intensity of the land use, not the use itself and not the building size, shape, or dimensions. Common performance regulations include limiting the hours of operation, prohibiting shadow casting of buildings at certain times, and noise level regulations.

The standards often relate to a site’s development capability. An example of a performance standard would be “that walls, floor and ceiling be so constructed as to contain an interior fire for one hour”. A specification standard example would be “that walls, floor and ceiling be constructed of 4 inch thick masonry or stone”. In agricultural areas, for example, performance zoning could be used to limit development on prime agricultural soils and allow development on lower quality soils.

Coles County doesn’t have a bad land use policy; it doesn’t have one at all. Adopting a comprehensive plan will correct this, but there is much to be considered. The shortcomings of traditional zoning are being felt across the country. Cities are beginning to repeal their zoning ordinances to implement performance regulations. And the fear of zoning regulations is causing opposition to a plan that doesn’t even exist yet. Performance zoning may be the middle ground that will satisfy everyone.

Education standards should be revised to fair level

March 10, 2006
By Chris Rankin
The federal No Child Left Behind Act demands that states test the children in public schools, and specifies penalties and remedies for schools that are observed to be failing. Sounds great ... except that there is a huge loophole. The easiest move a state education bureaucracy can make to have more schools pass is to dumb down the test. Make the test easier; more kids will pass -- simple!
In 2003, New York lowered their passing math score from 55 percent to 39 percent after observing to many students failing math achievement tests. Illinois followed suit last month by lowering our eighth grade math standards from 67 percent to 38 percent.

In 2002, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige warned against dumbing-down state tests to make bureaucracies look good. "Unfortunately, some states have lowered the bar of expectations to hide the low performance of their schools. And a few others are discussing how they can ratchet down their standards in order to remove schools from their list of low performers....” Paige wrote in a letter to state education officials.

Illinois claims they are not "dumbing down'' the test by lowering math score needed to meet state standards. Instead, they are fixing a score that was set too high in the first place, making it the most difficult state test to pass.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Edwin Eisendrath charged that the state was "cooking the books'' so it could "report higher pass rates." "Embracing mediocrity is not the way to improve schools,'' Eisendrath said.

Illinois school boards and administrators approved of the measure. And the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance contended that the change will not affect the difficulty of the test questions themselves and therefore would not affect student performance.

I am not an expert on “No Child Left Behind”, I am sure it is not perfect. I imagine some have great complaints about it. But it is the system we have and must deal with it. The loophole of lowering test standards is one that should be fixed.

While 67 percent seems high for a “pass” point, 38 percent is equally low. Most tests have a 60 percent pass/fail mark. This would make more sense. Or maybe set the mark in the middle at 50 percent.

There are no federal pass/fail standards and no federal standardized test. Running schools is left up to the States, as it should. But allowing the states to set the threshold for receiving federal money is a little like letting the students set the threshold for passing a test, or allowing an employee to set his own pay scale.

Believe it or not, math is an important part of everyday life. It is used more than you realize. I have heard many say, “Why do I need to know this? I’m not going into a math field”. But you never know where life will lead your. I am a land surveyor by trade, I use advanced math every day. I used to say the same thing about English. “Why do I need to know grammar? I’m going into a math field”.

Who would have thought I would write a weekly column. I hope my grammar weakness doesn’t show.