Opinion: Brant Walker Outlines Opposition To Proposed Lovejoy Housing Development, Calls On Opponents To Clearly State Their Positions

Submitted by Brant Walker

Feb 20, 2025 12:05 PM Feb 20, 2025 12:14 PM

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Brant Walker

ALTON - On Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, former Mayor and current Mayoral candidate Brant Walker issued the following statement outlining his opposition to the proposed Lovejoy Housing Development slated for consideration by the Alton Committee of the Whole on Monday, February 24, 2025 and called on his opponents in the race for Mayor to clearly articulate their positions on this issue:

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At the February 12, 2025, City Council meeting, the 7th Ward Alderman curiously referred a resolution to the Committee of the Whole for the City of Alton to enter into a redevelopment agreement with McCormack Baron Salazar for the “Lovejoy Development Project” located within the 3rd Ward on and near the corner of Ridge and East 4th Streets.

This resolution indicates this development project is for construction of 70 units of mixed income housing partially funded by Alton taxpayers in the form of TIF, ARPA, and Community Development Block Grant funds. The developer is also seeking low-income tax credits through the Illinois Housing Development Authority, credits that require a certain percentage of subsidized housing and allow the developer to be reimbursed for the low-income housing units via federal tax credits over a ten-year term.

Also concerning is that McCormack Baran Management, Inc., the management arm of the developer on this project, is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, which gave the company a D-. That alone should raise serious concerns for the City Council and every resident.

Further, the site of this proposed development is owned by one of the founders of AltonWorks, an organization that has already received nearly $10 million in taxpayer TIF funds from the City of Alton for two projects not yet completed. This would be the third line of funding for the same development organization and would deplete our TIF fund, leaving fewer resources for existing small businesses to rely on for investments in their own buildings.

Additionally, the yet to be completed Sunnybrook Development on Washington Ave., which I opposed and that the current administration allowed to proceed, is already slated to provide similar housing to this proposed development.

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With Alton already over 50% rental, adding additional rental housing does not align with our community’s long-term best interests. Let me be clear, I strongly oppose this development, and I call on my opponents in the race for Mayor to clearly articulate where they stand on this proposal.

First and foremost, we must deal with the housing stock that we already have. That requires strengthening Building & Zoning by separating it from Community Development, re-establishing a police officer in Building & Zoning, and strongly enforcing our city codes, including our crime free housing ordinance. All of these things occurred under my administration, and I’m committed to doing them again.

Next, if we’re going to offer incentives to developers, we should focus on single-family homes and in-fill housing to stabilize our neighborhoods. This, coupled with an even stronger HOMEownership program that assists families and individuals in realizing the dream of owning a home will improve our neighborhoods, protect property values, and encourage people to invest in our community.

Finally, we must invest in making Alton more attractive and livable for current and potential residents as well as legitimate developers. That means fixing our streets, investing in our infrastructure, and ensuring our parks offer diverse recreational opportunities.

With a project as large as that proposed as the “Lovejoy Development Project,” I encourage residents to contact their respective members of the City Council and to attend next week’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday. At a minimum, this housing development should be referred to the Planning Commission as the proposed site is not properly zoned and a project of this size and magnitude deserves the maximum level of transparency and scrutiny.

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