Swansea is one of the few suburbs in the metro east without a real downtown, but they may soon change.
Development offers village 'heart and soul'
Swansea plans centerpiece
BY SCOTT WUERZ
News-Democrat
SWANSEA - Over the years, Swansea has added shopping centers, subdivisions and thousands of acres of land to the once tiny village nestled between Belleville and Fairview Heights.
But one thing has always been missing, according to Mayor Chip Gray: A centerpiece like Belleville's downtown to be the heart and soul of the town.
"We're basically a bedroom community," Gray said. "The closest thing we ever had to a downtown was three taverns and a gas station along North Illinois Street.
"We want to have our own identity," he added. "We want to do something that makes people recognize us as a separate community and realize that they aren't in Belleville or Fairview Heights anymore."
Gray said the solution is the village's master plan of building a commercial and residential development centered on Swansea's MetroLink station.
The area, to be called Towne Centre, would be bordered on the north by the Swansea Schnuck's plaza and would stretch across the MetroLink rails from Illinois 161 to Illinois 159.
"There would be a commercial area with shops on the first floor and offices on the second," Gray said. "There would be a residential area with what I would call high-end condos, and we are also looking into putting a couple of hotels, a convention center and some government offices in there."
Gray said on the west side of the MetroLink tracks he envisions a massive park with an ampitheatre where weekly band and chorale concerts would be held during the warm weather months.
Village administrator Cheryl Moody said the cultural and commercial addition would be a magnet for new development.
"I think it would do wonders for attracting new businesses and residents to town," Moody said. "I think it would create a lot of excitement."
Village leaders said they are discussing their plans with developers, but they would not reveal who will build the project. With the Southwestern Illinois Development Authority's recent loss of quick-take eminent domain powers, Gray said it will be up to the developer to negotiate the purchase of all the land needed for the project.
Moody said Swansea has created a tax increment financing district for the project and is working on a special taxing district that would generate revenue from a 1 percent sales tax.
Village Trustee Skip Kernan said the sign ordinance community leaders unveiled last week was just one more part of the village's plans to beautify Swansea and give it its own identity. Swansea is also trying to pool grant money to pay for sidewalks and decorative lighting along North Illinois Street and to buy power lines, he said.
"We think this is the perfect place for this project," Gray said. "We're smack dab between Lambert and MidAmerica Airport, and we think Swansea is ready to fill the gap in the middle."
Contact reporter Scott Wuerz at swuerz@bnd.com or 239-2626.
Development offers village 'heart and soul'
Swansea plans centerpiece
BY SCOTT WUERZ
News-Democrat
SWANSEA - Over the years, Swansea has added shopping centers, subdivisions and thousands of acres of land to the once tiny village nestled between Belleville and Fairview Heights.
But one thing has always been missing, according to Mayor Chip Gray: A centerpiece like Belleville's downtown to be the heart and soul of the town.
"We're basically a bedroom community," Gray said. "The closest thing we ever had to a downtown was three taverns and a gas station along North Illinois Street.
"We want to have our own identity," he added. "We want to do something that makes people recognize us as a separate community and realize that they aren't in Belleville or Fairview Heights anymore."
Gray said the solution is the village's master plan of building a commercial and residential development centered on Swansea's MetroLink station.
The area, to be called Towne Centre, would be bordered on the north by the Swansea Schnuck's plaza and would stretch across the MetroLink rails from Illinois 161 to Illinois 159.
"There would be a commercial area with shops on the first floor and offices on the second," Gray said. "There would be a residential area with what I would call high-end condos, and we are also looking into putting a couple of hotels, a convention center and some government offices in there."
Gray said on the west side of the MetroLink tracks he envisions a massive park with an ampitheatre where weekly band and chorale concerts would be held during the warm weather months.
Village administrator Cheryl Moody said the cultural and commercial addition would be a magnet for new development.
"I think it would do wonders for attracting new businesses and residents to town," Moody said. "I think it would create a lot of excitement."
Village leaders said they are discussing their plans with developers, but they would not reveal who will build the project. With the Southwestern Illinois Development Authority's recent loss of quick-take eminent domain powers, Gray said it will be up to the developer to negotiate the purchase of all the land needed for the project.
Moody said Swansea has created a tax increment financing district for the project and is working on a special taxing district that would generate revenue from a 1 percent sales tax.
Village Trustee Skip Kernan said the sign ordinance community leaders unveiled last week was just one more part of the village's plans to beautify Swansea and give it its own identity. Swansea is also trying to pool grant money to pay for sidewalks and decorative lighting along North Illinois Street and to buy power lines, he said.
"We think this is the perfect place for this project," Gray said. "We're smack dab between Lambert and MidAmerica Airport, and we think Swansea is ready to fill the gap in the middle."
Contact reporter Scott Wuerz at swuerz@bnd.com or 239-2626.
