OREGON — At the most recent Oregon City Council meeting held on Tuesday, Jan. 23, it was more about discussion items than the city’s business at hand. A facade grant was approved for the property at 410 W. Washington St. to replace siding and windows. Andy Shaw from the Lee/ Ogle Enterprise Zone Committee talked about the expansion of the zone boundaries that will now include the City of Oregon. Approximately 2,140 acres will be added to the territory, with 1,700 allowed for incentives for renovations to existing buildings, or 12 percent allowable by the state.
“The state started a program called the Invest in Illinois Act that has helped larger cities like Rochelle and Dixon to do much needed repairs and renovations to city properties,” Shaw said. “Oregon will now benefit with this expansion which will now include commercial-scale residential apartments that are outside of the TIF zones.”
Mayor Ken Williams started the discussion about a New Home Incentive Program that he is spearheading. The home buyer incentives, if approved by both the Oregon School and City Council boards, would waive school district and city property taxes for three years, along with waiving of city impact and 75 percent of utility connect fees. One of the stipulations is that the new build would have to be owner occupied. As an example, a $220,000, three-bedroom home would see an incentive of $17,948 dollars. Williams stated that home buyers don’t always think of Oregon as a place to live and they hope to change that.
“The idea behind this program is to have more housing here in Oregon,” Williams said. “More people living here means kids going to our schools, as well as increasing our tax base, by providing these incentives we hope that home buyers will come here as the place they choose to live. We have some great amenities including our parks and the river.”
City Manager Darin DeHaan shared with the council that his office is constantly being asked for more residential housing.
“We know that we have a housing shortage and are looking to incentivize building new homes,” DeHaan said. “We currently have three subdivisions that aren’t completed that have lots available. We hope that will give people a ‘jump start’ to want to build.”
For the first 12 months of this program if approved, the target number of homes to be in the program is 10. It’s a work in progress as to how the incentives will be applied. The council was very receptive to the program and agreed to move forward with implementing this initiative. The program will be promoted through realtors, builders, social media, and the media.
A new possible ordinance that was also up for discussion was a request for bring your own alcohol. The biggest talking point for the council to decide is if they want to regulate as an example, a crafting event that would take place in an available space in an existing business or a small ‘mom and pop’-type restaurant. “
“We are trying to find a balance which is in the public's best interest,” DeHaan said.
The council members weighed the pros and cons of such an ordinance and agreed to have further discussions before voting on such an ordinance.
The last item discussed was parking on streets after a snowstorm. Currently, the ordinance reads one inch of snow, which can be arbitrary. DeHaan’s suggestion was to make it two inches to make things clear.
“The ordinance as it sits requires drivers to move back and forth each day based on the odd and even system until everything has been cleaned up,” DeHaan said. “The problem is the ordinance doesn’t say when that ends and this needs to be cleared up and easily understood. The citizens need to know the definitive end to the clean-up, so they aren’t in any violation.”
