By: Diane Benjamin
The building below used to be the piano and music store:
It has been vacant for quite a while even though the rent is cheap for such a large space. http://www.cityfeet.com/cont/listing/retail-space-for-lease/417-n-main-st-bloomington-il-61701/cs11356072
According to the County website, taxes on this building are $1,511.88 a year. http://mcleanil.devnetwedge.com/view/RE/21-04-189-003/2017
The building is owned by ZCV3 LLC.
The Secretary of State’s office shows the Agent for this LLC is Mike Manna, the same guy who owns the building in yesterday’s story: https://blnnews.com/2018/05/23/downtown-building-for-sale/
The Bloomington City Council thinks just a little more money and signage, just a little more pretty stuff, just a few more events held downtown will revitalize the whole area.
The Coliseum failed to bring people downtown.
The BCPA failed to bring people downtown.
Instead of concentrating on what does bring people downtown – bars and farmer’s market – the Council keeps trying to redefine it. The scheduled events downtown, many with drinking involved, will go up this summer. When it’s cold again they will disappear.
I think we need to inventory all the empty building or storefronts. Maybe a list of business who fled or closed will slap the Council out of their Utopian dreams (nightmare for taxpayers). Maybe next weeks project!
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What happened to the music store? And, when did it close?
I believe it closed a year or two ago. The owner decided to retire after decades of business. Good for him!
It would be cheaper to rent this place and pay the property taxes on it too than to rent an actual apartment downtown. It tells me people don’t think customers will come to most places and more importantly, Mike Manna isn’t paying real property taxes. Think of what could be done if he paid his “fair share.” The mayor should worry less about new fees and more about his core supporters paying in line with everyone else.
How are vacancies in downtown Ellsworth?
I wouldn’t know, I don’t live in Ellsworth. Thanks for not using the usually language that gets you banned.
The population of Ellsworth is about 200 – apples to oranges (his boy) Elroy – Learn how to make logical comparisons.
Wherever she lives, she’s reporting what Bloomington media isn’t. If someone from Denmark helped Bloomington residents know what our leaders are doing, I’d pay attention to the person in Denmark. Don’t complain to Diane. Complain to the Pantagraph, the local radio stations, and your local government.
Your welcome. Foul language is unnecessary. Society is crude enough as it is. Now I’d imagine living in rural Ellsworth you would enter their downtown on occasion. If not, pardon me for being presumptuous. If you recently moved to Bloomington/Normal, welcome!
I live in the country, I have no reason to drive out of my way to Ellsworth, sorry
Doesn’t matter where she lives. If the local media would do more than just serve as the PR firm for our local government, she wouldn’t have to do what she’s doing. Complain to the Pantagraph or WJBC. Not here.
Bet Elroy don’t even have a CLUE what’s in Ellsworth, and what Midwest does! Do ya Elroy?
Sad that the music/piano store is now gone. Back when this was my paper route there was a Beneficial Loan office at 415 N Main. TOOT TOOT!
HOW many of the council is FROM this town and how many are “wannabe” Townies?
This USED to be a vibrant downtown, and there are STILL spots that have that “tome” Lucca Grill for one. But MANY have gone the way of the Edsel…
OH, Rivian will bring that back.
There ARE a few “isolated” areas of downtown that I believe are TRYING to get it running again, like the show on E Front, etc, but for ALL this to be successful, the mayor and council HAVE to let capitalism and free enterprise run it’s course and quit trying to make downtown look like some European city or a “Boulder” wanna-be!
The City Council, Downtown Task Farce, and the sheep at the Chamber actually believe that government should determine what businesses go in the Downtown and what takes place Downtown. What they don’t understand is that the market doesn’t care what they think. Businesses will build, grow, or expand if there’s a demand. Government believes it can encourage people to go Downtown with “anchor” attractions, which as documented are all demonstrable failures. Yet, Tari and his pals continue to push for Downtown revitalization despite a mountain of evidence proving it doesn’t work. Vacancies are way up and large buildings with multiple units are for sale. Like Koos, Renner forgets that the community is more than a few square blocks. Hey, City of Bloomington, State Farm is fleeing the community and has downsized by 1000s, the workforce participation numbers continue to decline, and we are a one-dimensional economy. When are you going to address this?!
By the time they begin to wake up to the reality of this area being in a massive economic decline it will be too late. Tax revenues will be so low that layoffs and service cuts will be necessary. The city government at that point will be putting out fiscal fires and completely unable to do the scheming and dreaming they do now.