Interested in starting a business?
6/26/2009
Unemployment Rates
How the unemployment rates are calculated by the Federal Government
These rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Month___________April________May
Rate___________
National________8.98.9________9.4
State________ 8. 9.3__ _ _ _9.9___________
Peoria MSA _____ _ 9.1_____ __8.9
Site Search
A major corporation is conducting a search for a location to establish a factory to manufacture electrical machinery. Illinois is one of approximately six states under consideration for the project. The other states are east of Illinois. The company plans to construct a 180,000 sq. ft. plant on a 16 acre site. Anticipated employment in year 2 is 190 and in year 4 - 350 while planned capital investment is $70 million.
Site characteristics:
Ø Not more than approximately 30 miles from a Port or barge terminal site with a lifting capacity of 800,000 pounds - a 400 ton crane or two 200 ton cranes. The company is not interested in bringing in the cranes. Thus, port/barge terminal must be able to provide the service. However, a site at a port or barge terminal will probably not work for this project for the following reasons:
· the facility must be above the river to avoid floods,
· the site must allow equipment to operate 15' to 18' below the shop floor level, and
· have no underground water stream
Ø Rail service between the facility and a port/barge terminal is required. Also, the rail line should be connected to a regional railway network.
Ø Quick access to a major highway with no bridge underpasses along the access road or highway. Their trucks are not likely to make it under a bridge. Also, access roads and highways must allow for truck weights of 350 tons. Truckloads of 350 tons per year will be infrequent - approximately ten per year, but there will be a number of other loads of approximately 100 tons.
Ø The site must be level or flat and preferably composed of clay
Ø Within 100 miles of a university with an electrical engineering program. The facility will employ a significant number of electrical and mechanical engineers.
Ø Stable workforce - It is very important to the company to locate in an area where they can attract and retain engineers, skilled production operators and administrative staff. At full operation in year four 350 people comprising 230 production workers and 120 highly qualified managers, engineers, technicians and professional staff will be employed at the facility. If there is a training institution nearby that may be well prepared to address the training needs of the production workers, that would be helpful information.
Ø Utilities
· Power necessary: 15 MVA maximum
· No water is used for in the manufacturing process
· No natural gas is used in the manufacturing process
Attached is a site selection questionnaire for interested communities with a site meeting the above criteria. The section requesting labor cost data may raise some questions. Here is some guidance -
o IDES wage rate data is acceptable. Median average wages should be provided for the following OES occupations:
§ 51-2022: Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers
§ 51-2023: Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers
§ 51-0000: Production Occupations
§ 51-1011: First Line Supervisors/Managers of Production and Operating Workers
§ 43-5071: Shipping, Receiving and Traffic Clerks
o The phrase "direct qualified workers" means operational people who actually build the equipment, which relates to the first three occupations listed. The phrase "indirect qualified workers" means operational people who do not directly build the equipment but participate in the overall process (supervisor of 'direct workers', logistics specialists, ...). However, "indirect" does not include the general staff (finance, legal,...).
The company is not interested in an existing building due to specialized requirements and work process flow. Also, they plan to construct their facility to LEED standards.
Project timeline:
Investment Decision - October 2009
Start construction - January 2010
Start production - August 2011
Production reaches full capacity - October 2014
For interested communities with qualified sites, please submit a completed site questionnaire along with any other pertinent information to david.pierson@illinois.gov by Monday, July 6, 2009.
Thank you in advance.
Dave
Dave Pierson
Economic Development Representative
IL Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
100 W. Randolph St., Suite 3-400
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312-814-1346
Fax: 312-814-5247
E-mail: david.pierson@illinois.gov
6/25/2009
City of Peoria Sales Tax Rate
Hospitality Improvement Zone
City of Peoria Sales Tax Rate
Effective 7/1/09
Background
The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDR) sent an informational bulletin to ALL taxpayers located in the City of Peoria of a sales tax rate change for the City of Peoria on 7/1/09. It was for businesses located “Inside the Hospitality Improvement Zone Business District”.
The rate increase of 1% and the new combined rate is 9%, not for all taxpayers, ONLY FOR THE ADDRESSES LOCATED IN THE DISTRICT.
There is some confusion… “the rate increase is only for businesses located inside Hospitality Improvement Zone Business District”. The informational bulletin (bottom right corner) also tells the taxpayer to find out if the rate applies to their sales, to go to the “Tax Rate Finder” on their web site at tax.illinois.gov for a list of addresses.
If the business address is not one of the locations listed below, they are NOT subject to the new tax rate.
If the business address is one of the locations listed below, they must collect the additional tax and remit it to the Illinois Dept of Revenue.
Addresses
The addresses provided to the IDR and that appear on the IDR web site:
702 Fulton Ct
720 Fulton Ct
414 Hamilton Blvd
416 Hamilton Blvd
500 Hamilton Blvd
501 Hamilton Blvd
501 Main St
519 Main St
529 Main St
531 Main St
533 Main St
539 Main St
611 Main St
617 Main St
627 Main St
629 Main St
631 Main St
633 Main St
709 Main St
727 Main St
514 N Main St
516 N Main St
706 N William Kumpf Blvd
814 N William Kumpf Blvd
225 NE Adams St
203 NE Jefferson St
217 NE Jefferson St
227 NE Jefferson St
228 NE Jefferson St
229 NE Jefferson St
117 NE Madison Ave
200 NE Madison Ave
202 NE Madison Ave
206 NE Madison Ave
222 NE Madison Ave
234 NE Madison Ave
222 NE Monroe St
237 NE Monroe St
201 SW Jefferson Ave
222 SW Jefferson Ave
109 SW Monroe St
125 SW Monroe St
128 SW Monroe St
129 SW Monroe St
135 SW Monroe St
719 W Main St
If the business address is on the list, they collect 9% and remit the tax to the Illinois Department of Revenue. If the business is subject to the Restaurant/Tavern tax the rate is then 11% with 2% going directly to the City.
6/22/2009
Maps and Aerial Photography
Maps and Aerial Photography of Peoria
County GIS - Tax Maps
Microsoft Aerials
Redevelopment of the north Peoria Riverfront
The City has been seeking a developer for mixed use and housing redevelopment of the City Riverfront. The City has approved a concept plan for the land just north of the Riverplex, bordering the railroad Track. The maps below illustrate some of the concepts.The Taft Homes should be redeveloped at the same time. As shown on the concept plan below, the undeveloped property in TAFT could be redeveloped soon into new mixed use development. Redevelopment of the existing homes would take longer since new housing must be developed to replace the existing homes. The development will be better if we can successfully mix fair market housing with subsidized housing.
More information at
Economic Development Strategy - Draft
The eight draft of the proposed Economic Development Strategy for the City of Peoria, completed June 8, 2009 is available for review and comment. It will be incorporated into the newly revised City Comprehensive Plan, and will guide the activities of the City Economic Development Department.
All of us are smarter then some of us. Your comments and suggestions for improvements will be appreciated.
6/18/2009
Free Marketing
Free Marketing for the City of Peoria Economic Development
City Staff are using a number of free programs to market economic development opportunities. We use a large number of blogs, which are all located at the address below:
We make frequent entries on the City of Peoria Blog.
http://cityofpeoria.blogspot.
We also place the entry on Linkedin
We also place the entry on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/
We also place the entry on Twitter - you have to join Twitter to read
A free and simple way to get the word out about development opportunities in Peoria.
2010 CENSUS
Although the 2010 Census is almost a year away, the work of the U.S. Census Bureau continues throughout the decade. The Census Bureau is currently conducting surveys in the Peoria area. The surveying will likely continue beyond Census day which is April, 2010. The information these surveys provide about the social and economic conditions of our nation and local areas affects us all.
We are asking your support as Census takers come to your households to conduct their surveys. We do understand that you may be concerned with security, personal identity, and privacy issues. Please be assured that the confidentiality of information provided to Census Bureau Representatives is protected.
If your household has been selected to participate in the Census survey, the Census Bureau will send you a notification letter. All Census Field Representatives are required to display an official photo identification card issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce. To verify the identification of a Census Field Representative or the legitimacy of a survey, please contact the Chicago regional Office of the U.S. Bureau of the Census at 630/288-9200.
Alma Brown, City of Peoria Communications Manager, 309 494-8554
6/17/2009
Peoria is a HotSpot
Peoria is a hotspot for young professionals, according to Next Generation Consulting (NGC). NGC announced its "Next Cities" rankings—the best places to live and work for young professionals—and Peoria ranked 16th on the list of top 20 cities with a population of 100,000-200,000. Visit
http://peoriachamber.org/goto/HotSpotYPO
to view the full report.
6/15/2009
"Green Collar" Summit
Illinois could see more than $1 billion worth of economic activity linked to renewable energy over the next 20 years, and many say legislators, entrepreneurs and others need to think now about how to harness that potential.
That's why state Rep. Mike Smith, D-Canton, is hosting a "green collar" summit at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Pekin City Hall, 111 S. Capitol St.
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x2127750658/Smith-hosting-green-summit
Call Center Lead
We have a call center lead with the following building requirements:
10,000 sq. ft. initially, with growth up to 40,000 sq. ft.
“Plug-and-Play” facility or former call center facility preferred
We searched LOIS and found the following possibilities:
1530 W. Altorfer-Peoria -15,207sf
111 N. Sixth Street-Pekin -25,000
6100 Everett McKinley Dirksen Parkway-Peoria -26,220sf
Please let me know if you know of anything else that meets the parameters.
Beth Kolowski
The Economic Development Council for Central Illinois
A company of The Heartland Partnership
100 SW Water Street
Peoria, IL 61602-1329
309-256-9011 - Cell
309-495-5973 - Office
Recovery Zone Bond Allocations
__________ __Economic Development Bond----Recovery Zone Facility Bond
City of Peoria___ ____-8-_1,466,000___________-__2,198,000
County of Peoria________ 1,021,000______________1,532,000
The Federal Government has created a number of new bonds that are intended to encourage investment to assist in the recovery. The bonds above are subsidized by the Federal Government, and it is in our interest to use these bonds for good projects before they expire at the end of 2010.
More info at:
http://cityofpeoria.blogspot.com/2009/05/recovery-zone-approved.html
Statewide and local bond allocations are listed below. It appears that most Illinois Counties.
http://groups.google.com/group/cityofpeoria/files
More Info from Chapman and Cutler on the Bonds
6/14/2009
6/12/2009
Bonds - Illinois a Big Winner
The government announced the state allocations this morning, and Illinois is a big winner.
$972,000,000 for Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds (those are the Build America Bonds that get the 45% interest rate subsidy).
$666,000,000 for Recovery Zone Facility Bonds (those are the private activity bonds that would otherwise be taxable,so they're the ones where you can flunk the famous two-prong test and still have a chance of doing a tax-exempt deal).
The State will now further allocate to the City.
Information courtesy of our Bond Council Pat Curtner.
$972,000,000 for Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds (those are the Build America Bonds that get the 45% interest rate subsidy).
$666,000,000 for Recovery Zone Facility Bonds (those are the private activity bonds that would otherwise be taxable,so they're the ones where you can flunk the famous two-prong test and still have a chance of doing a tax-exempt deal).
The State will now further allocate to the City.
Information courtesy of our Bond Council Pat Curtner.
City Economic Development Office Moving
The City Economic Development Office is moving today back to City Hall at 419 Fulton on the 4th floor.
We appreciate the Fire Department putting up with us this past year.
6/11/2009
Market Research Update
In and Near Downtown Peoria Housing
Good news:
The link below is the update on the in and near downtown housing market research from Tracy Cross, the premier housing market research firm in Illinois.
More info below:
6/08/2009
Smart Growth
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy spent two years looking at smart growth policies in a number of states to see how well they've achieved their goals. Gregory K. Ingram, President of the Institute, explains the results.
Read Full Story:
Planetizen is an interesting free on line planning magazine. Take a look at:
Schools
Some interesting information about our Schools, courtesy of the Heartland Partnership
WHOI - Peoria,IL,USA
... CEO of the Peoria Next Innovation Center. For this reason local business heads are backing the district's push to bring a charter school to Peoria.
District paves way for new academy
Peoria Journal Star - Peoria,IL,USA
Several executives from area businesses spoke out in favor of the proposed school concept, including Caterpillar Inc., PCCEO, Peoria NEXT and the Chamber of ...
6/05/2009
Comprehensive Plan for the City of Peoria
The new draft Comprehensive Plan is available for public review and comment. The Peoria Planning Commission and staff have done a great job in getting public input and comment during the preparation of the plan - the best citizen participation effort I have ever seen in my 35 years as a City Planner. Now is the time for you to review the plan, and make your constructive comments to improve the document and our City.
___________________
To All:
The draft Comprehensive Plan for the City of Peoria, Illinois has been completed and is available to the public. Please forward this email to individuals or groups that you feel would like to review the Draft Comprehensive Plan. This document has been developed over the past eighteen months with extensive public outreach and input, data collection, and analysis.
The draft plan is now available for public review and comment. Unlike the development phase of the Comprehensive Plan, where the public was asked to provide generalized input; the request now is to provide direct input on the plan document.
When providing input, please be as specific as possible, as to the location and subject of your comments.
We are requesting that the public suggest additions, revisions, deletions, clarifications, corrections, and any other change that they feel merits consideration. Please also include any comments on the format or layout of the document.
The public comment period will start on June 1, 2009 and run through June 29, 2009. During this period, comments can be provided using various methods:
• Attend one of the City Planning Commission meetings:
§ 1:30 PM on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at City Hall, 419 Fulton Street, Suite 400, Peoria, IL
§ 1:30 PM on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at Lakeview Museum, 1125 W Lake Avenue, Peoria, IL
§ 1:30 PM on Monday, June 29, 2009 at Fire Station 20, 2020 W Wilhelm Road, Peoria, IL
• Provide comments via email to planning@ci.peoria.il.us with the subject line as “Comprehensive Plan”
• Provide comments in writing to City Planning Department, 456 Fulton Street, Suite 402, Peoria, IL 61602, Attn: Comprehensive Plan
• Provide comments via fax to 309 494 8680, Attn: Comprehensive Plan
All comments received will be reviewed by City staff and a final draft Comprehensive Plan will be taken to the City Planning Commission for approval and recommendation to the City Council.
The City Council will have final approval on the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan. Further opportunity for comment will be provided during the City Council phase of the approval process. The draft Comprehensive Plan is available for viewing or download at the following websites:
http://www.ci.peoria.il.us/
Printed copies are available for review at the Department of Planning & Growth Management, 456 Fulton Street, Suite 402, or at the following Public Library locations: Main Library, 107 NE Monroe Street, Peoria, IL 61602; Lakeview Branch, 1137 W Lake Avenue, Peoria, IL 61614; McClure Branch, 315 W McClure Avenue, Peoria, IL 61604, and Lincoln Branch, 1312 W Lincoln Avenue, Peoria, IL 61605.
Sincerely,
The Planning & Growth Management Department
456 Fulton Street, Suite 402
Peoria, IL 61602
Phone: 309-494-8600
Fax: 309-494-8680
Email: planning@ci.peoria.il.us
6/04/2009
Uptown in Normal, Illinois
The City of Normal, Illinois has done a great job redeveloping their Uptown.
Read all about it at:
