DANVILLE — The Danville City Council Tuesday night will act on a purchase agreement for the former Classy Critters pet grooming business property that was to be a “Royal Vape” shop near Danville High School.
The council meets at 6 p.m. at city hall, 17 W. Main St.
The city would purchase the property for $310,000 from Sanany Properties LLC, with its principal office in Peoria. Funding comes from the city’s Midtown Tax Increment Financing District.
The purchase is two-fold, Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr said.
“We never wanted it there, but we couldn’t lawfully stop them because they met state requirements,” Williams said of a vape shop near the high school.
In addition, Williams said, “we own the land all around that.”
He said it made sense for the city to also own that property to make a litle more than 2 acres of land at the southeast corner of Vermilion and Fairchild streets for future development.
He said it’s prime property at the second-busiest intersection in the community, and the city has received an almost $1 million Environmental Protection Agency brownfield grant to clean up underground contamination there.
With this property acquisition, it’s a prime area ready for redevelopment, he said.
Williams said the city approached the owner, who had been getting ready to open, on the acquisition. He said this is an ideal TIF project.
According to the city, a TIF District is a designated area which the city has determined is in need of physical improvements, both public and private, in order to spur growth and development. A portion of the property taxes from each building located within the TIF District are placed in a fund that is specifically reserved for such improvements. These funds can help finance private building improvements that otherwise might not receive any attention.
The TIF incentive model is designed to work with property owners to create a public/private partnership in a certain area. The general idea being that the more the district improves the more property values will increase. This will increase revenue in the TIF fund which, in turn, will be used for further district improvements.
Danville Community Development Administrator Logan Cronk said the building will be torn down, with council approval of the property purchase. City officials already know the other ground is contaminated, from having a gas station and dry cleaners on the site in the past, and will be cleaned up with the EPA grant. They already are doing a Phase 1 site assessment with the purchase agreement and it likely will trigger Phase 2, drilling for core samples to address anything.
In other business, the city council will consider approving a new Vermilion Regional Airport Board appointment.
Elizabeth Sookarry would replace Craig Davidson, whose term expired at the beginning of this year.
Davidson has appreciated his time of service on the board, Williams said.