Harrisburg Moving Toward New TIF, Developments

The Harrisburg City Council held a public hearing this Thursday to consider establishing the city's second TIF district. The targeted area includes both the down as well as land along the new Route 13 Bypass (Bill Franks Way). Unlike most council meetings the council chambers proved to be standing room only.

The council is expected to approved the district on Thursday, Nov. 21.

Meanwhile the city remains in negotiations with an Indiana theater chain to locate an 8-plex cinema in the former Mad Pricer building at the north end of Commercial Street (Route 45). The city and any would-be developer has until the end of the year to get a redevelopment agreement approved for the soon-to-be expiring TIF 1.

With all the focus on the bypass that fully opened last summer, there's been plenty of effort near the old intersection of Routes 13 and 45 at Poplar and Commercial. Wortman-Meyer Properties has broke ground for a new convenience store/truck stop at the northeast corner of the intersection. The station replaces both an old shuttered gas station as well as a small strip mall behind it that caught fire and suffered extensive damage.

No word as to what name the station will operated under. Randy Meyer, the principle in Wortman-Meyer Properties also runs Meyer Oil Co. out of Teutopolis, Illinois, that operates convenience stores under the Mach 1 name. A Subway is also planned for the Harrisburg store.

Although they asked for a variety of incentives in the end the city agreed only to build the extension of Locust Street from Route 45 east to the city limits that will run along the north side of the development.

Across the street to the northwest at the intersection of Locust and Commercial Streets the city council approved earlier this month the sale of the lot to Diederich Properties of Marion, according to the Daily Register. Jeffery Diederich owns Speakeasy Liquors in Marion and Herrin, which operates as an upscale liquor and cigar store. He has already applied for a liquor license at that location.

According to information included with the bid the intended store will be 5,300 square feet with a drive-through and parking areas.

Diederich Properties states in the bid it has a firm commitment from a general contractor commence construction within 30 days of closing the transaction.

The estimated project investment between both Diederich Properties and its tenant, Speakeasy Liquors is $1,900,000 and is estimated to create 12 jobs in Harrisburg.

The floorplan includes a walk-in humidor, premium liquor room, red wine cellar, white wine and Champagne Cellar, walk-in cooler and a beer cave.

Down Route 45 to the south Knapp Oil appears to be at last halfway finished in the construction of their new convenience store in front of the new Walmart. Likewise the reconstruction of the strip mall beside the supercenter destroyed in last year's tornado appears to be nearly complete as well.

Hundley House Secures Liquor License, DiMaggio Expanding

Carbondale's historic Hundley House, now a bed and breakfast secured the approval Monday of the Liquor Advisory Board in its quest for the ability to serve alcohol to their overnight guests.

For the history of the effort check out this post from earlier this summer.

The Daily Egyptian has the current story.

In other news from the "Athens of Egypt" as Carbondale was heralded a century ago, DiMaggio Pizza, a little known pizzeria tucked away among the student housing east of campus will soon move to a larger and more visible location in the former Godfather Pizza restaurant on Route 13 at 1030 W. Walnut St.

It too secured approval from the Liquor Advisory Board for a license. The new location will include an expanded Italian menu.

Meanwhile Chili's restaurant continues its construction in front of Dick's Sporting Goods in the old K-mart parking lot across from the University Mall.

Carbondale considers new liquor license class for B & Bs

A spew is brewing in Carbondale after the new owner of the Hundley House bed and breakfast asked the city for permission to sell alcohol to his guests.

Don Jones opened the inn in May. Now he wants to add a liquor license to his amenities. Currently the city code allows for licenses to be issued to hotels and motels if they have 25 rooms or more. Bed and breakfast inns max out at just five rooms under Illinois law.

By definition bed and breakfast inns provide breakfast where the issue of liquor doesn't usually come up. However, some offer dinner or an evening cocktail. Those that do either require guests to bring their own bottle of wine for dinner, or provide the drinks for free.

According to the Southern Illinoisan the city council members didn't have a problem with proposal in general. Instead, they tabled it until a future meeting for issues with the language to be worked out.

The fight is coming a competitor, Paul Lewers, of the Train Inn Bed & Breakfast, (and not the Trail Inn as referenced in the article).

"It's kind of like the Wal-Martization of America where everyone has to come up with a way to do everything," said Paul Lewers, owner of Trail-Inn Bed and Breakfast. "It smacks of some kind of need to wrangle every last dollar out of your customer. It's something I would never want."

Lewers along with fellow operator Linda Goforth of the long-running Barton House B & B are fine in their decision not to offer alcohol if such an ordinance passes, whether it be on moral or business grounds, but Lewers is on much shakier ground when he takes a stand to oppose a license for a competitor who does want that option.

Many of the guests in the various inns and cabins in the area come for the wineries. The idea of being able to sell a bottle of local wine, or that matter a bottle of the local brew from the Big Muddy Brewing Co. over in Murphysboro, is an amenity many guests will want.

The council discussed the issue in June. The proposed ordinance
would set a $100 fee for the new license, down from the $2,250 for a hotel.

It would also limit the sale of alcohol to guests only. The only problem I see is that it would require the sale and use of alcohol to guests rooms only, as opposed to common areas or the dining room. That requirement should be removed.

In other bed and breakfast inn news, the Marion Daily Republican has a nice feature on the Olde Squat Inn in Williamson County. The inn is northeast of Marion, as opposed to northwest as stated in the article.