Economic Development and City Planning News: 01/10

Marine Reunion Pensacola Naval Air Station

I was at a Marine Reunion at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in January 2010.

Very nice place. We stayed on base.

At 0500 hours the cadets began their physical training. Running, pushups, all kinds of exercise. All very loud.

Then the jets started taking off. Really loud.

Then the bugle.

Very impressive watching all these dedicated gung ho young men and women.

More info and photos at the blog below:

http://det4.blogspot.com/

Peoria Home Prices Increasing Substantially

Zillow.com Shows Peoria Home Prices Increasing Substantially, while the rest of the country struggles.

Zillow.com Shows Peoria, Illinois Home Prices Increasing Substantially

But they are still a bargain compared to much of the rest of the country.

Sell your home and move to Peoria !

Such a deal !!

http://www.zillow.com/local-info/IL-Peoria-home-value/r_19903/

http://www.zillow.com

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President Obama Home and Our Home

Guess Which One is Which?

Compare the home of President and Michelle Obama with the home of Beth Ruyle Hullinger and Craig Hullinger. The homes are similar, except that the President and his wife reportedly paid $1,650,000 for their Chicago home, while my wife and I bought ours in Peoria for $245,000.

Guess which one is which? Answer on the bottom:

Advantage Peoria!!

Move to Peoria, Illinois

Great City - Great Housing Values - Play in Peoria
_________________________

Ruyle Hullinger home
423 High Street, Peoria, Illinois

Located in the High Wine District across from Giant Oak Park, this Colonial Revival home was built around the turn of the century. On the ridge of the Illinois River, it overlooks downtown Peoria and the University of Illinois Medical Campus.

In the 1890's, a railroad agent and the treasurer of a local industry lived in the house. Later, the home was a boarding house and a halfway house for some years. It is reputed to be occupied by a ghost. The home was restored near its 100 year anniversary by Jack and Cathy Empson. Renovation was continued by the current owners, Beth Ruyle and Craig Hullinger in 2006.

The existing, original slate roof is moderately pitched and hipped, with a ridge. Classic one story fluted columns support the full length porch. Brick walls are edged with quoins. The interior boasts extensive stained woodwork and marble floors.

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High Street Source: http://www.historicpeoria.com/entry.php?eid=214&catid=1&cid=1

Nestled between Peoria's picturesque West Bluff and energetic Main Street, High Street offers its residents and visitors a vibrant and elegant slice of historical significance. From the mammoth Easton house (now Converse Marketing) gracing the entrance to the renovated Greenhut mansion (now Bobbitt's Historical Quarters) at the foot, the magic of High Street has survived the years and resonates today.

Once dubbed "High Wine Avenue," High Street housed many of the original Peoria whiskey barons, including Joseph Greenhut, president and founder of The Distillers and Cattle Feeders Company. In the mid-1880's, an era before income tax, fortunes were spent on homes, massive legacies that still stand today. The expanse of Peoria's whisky riches is showcased in the diverse and ornate architecture of High Street. During this golden age of Peoria history, the city established itself as the distillery capital of the world; High Street housed the city's exclusive nouveau riche, the properties offering both seclusion and breathtaking views. Each owner hired the services of individual architects, and thus High Street boasts styles ranging from Georgian and Gothic Revival, to Queen Anne and Flemish Revival.

This combination of porticos, cupolas, latticework, leaded windows, and arches creates an eclectic presence unique to High Street.Today High Street is home to artists, writers, politicians and families interested in living a piece of history. Many of the mansions have been restructured into apartments, and few single-family houses remain. A restoration revival swept the street in the late 1980's and early 1990's when owners began working with the city to uphold historical standards in the renovations.

On any summer day, visitors stroll the street, taking in the majestic homes and lush landscaping. Trolleys and tour buses creep along while tourists snap photos. Children and lovers alike hide within the limbs of the ancient oak tree at Giant Oak Park. Once the most exclusive residential street in Peoria, High Street continues to give citizens a taste of Peoria's past.

http://namethispeorialandmark.blogpeoria.com/category/high-st/

http://namethispeorialandmark.blogpeoria.com/category/historic-peoria/

http://www.peoriahistoricalsociety.org/trolleytours.html

President and Michelle Obama home is the top photo,

Beth and Craig Hullinger home is the bottom photo.

Of course, their current home is a better deal then ours. But they are only renting temporarily.

Welcome to Peoria, Bob Marx, new head of the PACVB

Welcome to Peoria, Bob Marx, new head of the PACVB

The Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau announced that Bob Marx will be the organization’s new president/CEO beginning February 1st. Marx is currently with the Marriott Corporation and has extensive industry experience in hospitality, including hotel operations, advertising and marketing, and specifically, directing and managing CVBs in North America.

http://www.peoriamagazine.com/

http://www.peoria.org/

Eagle Day Festival

February 6, 2010

The 10th Annual Eagle Days Festival Art Competition will be held at Dickson Mounds Museum. The event is sponsored by Mason County Arts Council, Fulton County Arts Council, Dickson Mounds Museum, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Havana Public Library, Emiquon Audubon Society, and The Nature Conservancy and is now open to all students in Grades 1-12 in Mason and Fulton Counties. Students of private art studios and home schools are welcome to participate.

http://www.peoria.org/

Wikipedia Info About Peoria Illinois

Peoria City Hall

Wikipedia does a great job of informing people about nearly everything. All information is collected and published by volunteers.

Below is their wiki information on Peoria, Illinois.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peoria,_Illinois

Interesting Data at http://www.data360.org

Interesting information at:

http://www.data360.org/

The Graph above shows Sustainability Rankings By City. The smaller bar is best. Congratulations, Chicago.

http://www.data360.org/report_slides.aspx?Print_Group_Id=100

Maps and Photos of Peoria

Click on the Links Below for Maps and Photos of Peoria

http://picasaweb.google.com/peoriamaps

http://picasaweb.google.com/hullingerc

Searching for a 10,000 Sq Ft Data Center

Dear Economic Developer,

In an effort to update our database of existing data center properties, the Grubb & Ellis Data Center Practice Group is reaching out to see if you have any properties in your area meeting the following criteria:

1. 10,000 sf or larger

2. Energy supply equal to at least 100 watts per square foot or, preferably, 150 watts per square foot

Note: This e-mail is not being prompted by a specific requirement, so please do not work overtime to get information to us! On the other hand, we are sensing pent-up demand for existing data center space and anticipate having need of the information going forward, so we do hope you’ll find a few moments to let us know what opportunities might exist in your community.

If you have qualified properties, please forward any available information on the building and we will add it to the database.

Thanks in advance!

Tracey Hyatt Bosman, CEcD

Director, Strategic Consulting Group

Clean Energy Practice Group, Co-Leader

Data Center Practice Group

Grubb & Ellis Company
500 West Monroe, 27th Floor, Chicago, IL 60661
Direct: 312.224.3147 Ÿ Cell: 312.206.0377 Ÿ Fax: 312.207.1822
www.grubb-ellis.com

Unemployment Rate

The national unemployment rate continues at 10% in December 2009. The unemployment rate in Peoria was 10.8% in November 2009, as shown on table below: Click here for more info: http://www.bls.gov/lau/

Data Series	June 2009	July 2009	Aug 2009	Sept 2009	Oct 2009	Nov 2009
Labor Force Data
Civilian Labor Force (1)	208.1	212.6	207.9	207.5	209.4	(P) 207.0
Employment (1)	188.2	186.6	185.1	184.5	184.9	(P) 184.5
Unemployment (1)	19.9	26.1	22.8	23.0	24.5	(P) 22.5
Unemployment Rate (2)	9.6	12.3	10.9	11.1	11.7	(P) 10.8

Made it Back

We made it back to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa after two weeks in England and Scotland. Thanks ot the KC-135 crew for a great flight. About 20 airmen and women were returning from duty in the Gulf. Our thanks to all who serve and served.

Air Force KC-135 refueling a jet fighter. This is the plane we are flying on.

Completing our two week tour of the United Kingdom. Nice place, but there are a lot of dangerous people driving / flying on the wrong side of the street.

And we met a lot of fine young servicemen and women, heading to and from the Gulf. We pray they stay safe.

Tomorrow or the next day we fly Military Space Available to some other place.

Space A is in military planes. As a military retiree, we can fly on military airplanes but are the lowest priority - Active servicemen are first, then their dependents, then us old guys, so you are never sure of a ride.

Airplanes include all the large planes the Air Force flies. Our first ride was on a KC-135 tanker, which is like a 707. Loud and alternately cold or hot, but pretty comfortable.

Possible choices tomorrow and the next day include:

Tampa Bay

Germany

Italy

Crete

Spain

North Dakota

Nebraska

California

Arkansas

Kansas

Washington State