Raising a glass of cheer on West Main

Maybe it is time to start viewing the redevelopment of the old Market Place Shopping Center at 6401 W. Main St. in Belleville as a glass half full instead of as a glass half empty.

Sure, it would be nice to know whether beer or whatever will be in that glass. It is difficult to understand the mystery or how disclosure would be unfair to the tenant, but there is plenty of other growth that appears to be sprouting from the old Mad Pricer grocery store’s proposed contents.

Don Rodgers clothing store owner and Belleville Alderman Roger Wigginton is excited and said his store and an underused shopping center down the street should benefit.

“Hopefully this is going to be this first step to jump start economic growth in west Belleville on West Main and for people to take an interest, a second look at the Arcades” shopping center, Wigginton said.

Next door they are demolishing a vacant drive-up bank building and building Fresenius Dialysis Center. And across the street the Hometown Ace Hardware is expanding.

Yes, there is a lot of incentive money going into this project, but the $2.49 million is mostly generated on site by a sales tax. A tax increment financing district would have robbed other taxing bodies while driving up residents’ property taxes.

So glass half full. Prosit.

This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Raising a glass of cheer on West Main."