Family House to build on what should be Park land.
Neighbors concerned about development on the wooded lot on the Abington Street hillside can breathe a little easier.
The seven-acre tract of property was purchased in auction Saturday for $120,000, the appraised value of the land, by Dale Geiss, a physician who lives “down the street” at 1624 NE Glen Oak, according to auctioneer Robert Luke of Bloomington.
“I bought the property to prevent it from being developed,” Geiss said after the auction held under the branches of an ancient oak on the property.
“He’s the man of the hour,” said one area resident who attended the auction, referring to Geiss.
The wooded lot was the last tract remaining from land acquired by John Birket, one of the original settlers in Peoria. Birket reportedly purchased 154 acres of land in 1826. Today Woodruff High School and Glen Oak Park stand on that land. The lower park was once known as Birket’s Hollow.
The Birket parcel represents one of the largest undeveloped acreages in Peoria with a river view and forest vegetation.
Residents in the area and conservation groups had feared development of the land would mar the wooded hillside with its stand of some of the oldest oak trees in the city.
“We have faith in the people that bought it,” said Tom Edwards
“It’s a win-win situation,” said Sandra Bybee of Peoria, who had owned the parcel of land with her brother, Stephen McCardle, also of Peoria, since the early 1980s.
“We’re delighted with the way things turned out,” Bybee said. “Steve and I talked of developing the land at various times, and the neighbors were always highly concerned.”
“It was never our intent to do anything to hurt the area. This is a unique piece of property.”
“I think it’s wonderful that Dr. Geiss purchased it to keep it as open space,” said Bonnie Noble, Peoria Park District director, confirming the park district’s interest in the wooded site.
Noble said she hoped to contact Geiss on Monday to ask if he would be interested in donating the land to the park district.
- Peoria Journal Star, November 15, 1998
Thumbs Up: To Dale Geiss for purchasing seven acres of wooded bluffland along Abington Street hill so that the ground can be preserved. Open space like this is precious; once it’s developed, it can never be reclaimed. Let’s hope the Peoria Park District can arrange to acquire the property from Geiss, so it can remain a community asset forevermore.
- Peoria Journal Star Editorial, November 17, 1998
Family House is almost halfway toward raising enough money to start construction on a new facility.
The current facility at 1509 N. Knoxville Ave. was constructed in 1894 as a single-family home. It is about 9,000 square-feet, has 14 bedrooms and one apartment, five shared bathrooms and one thermostat for all four levels
The new facility is 16,000 square-feet, has 20 bedrooms, with adjoining private bathrooms, a dining area that can accommodate 20 people, two kitchen areas and guest laundry rooms. There also is room for expansion.
Dr. Dale Geiss donated land at Nebraska and Prospect Avenue for the new facility.
- Peoria Journal Star, November 10, 2006
Now, this is not to say Family House isn’t a wonderful charity. Of course it is, and I don’t deny that they probably need a new facility. The land in question is also privately held and there is nothing to say private land can’t be developed. There is also no doubt that this was a very generous donation on the part of Dr. Geiss, but with all that being said this development does open up a number of questions.
Why is “some of the oldest oak trees in the city” in a plot of land which was purchased “to prevent it from being developed” now being developed?
Why has the Peoria Park District failed to acquire this land?
How are they going to construct a road from the end of Nebraska (as I was told is the plan) to the new facility in the small space between a steep dropoff and the neighbors backyard? Ask for a variance and run it right along the yard?
How do the neighbors in this quaint oasis on the East Bluff feel about a 16,000sq foot building replacing the historic woodland which is home to turkey, deer and other wildlife?
How do the neighbors on the dead end portion of Nebraska feel about the traffic which will come from a 16,000sq foot building which serves the needs of upwards of 1,800 families annually?
Based on an email I received which tipped me off to this development, I can answer the last two questions. They are not happy. The last house on Nebraska is actually a rental, so the owner probably doesn’t care about the increased traffic or that a new road will have to be cut in right up to his back yard. Most others aren’t happy about this project and are being left in the dark concerning the details, which is probably why the news media hasn’t covered it. As we all know, it’s easier to plan a large project in the dark than under the watch of the public eye because by the time anyone catches wind of any controversy, it’s usually too late. I doubt Family House has this type of clout or nefarious intentions, but I would suggest it wise that they and Dr. Geiss communicate better with their new neighbors. Best to try to tamp out small fires than to deal with a wildfire later.
Update: Well that didn’t take long. I just received an email from someone close to the process who claims that the neighborhood is and always been fully aware and supportive of this project.
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
This project was sprung on the residents of this area after Family House thought they had all their ducks in a row; nothing was previously mentioned though rumors were abound. This was shortly before Bob Manning became the 3rd District Councilman. The original plan was to go down Hillcrest; a little ornamental street that would have made a grand entrance into the proposed Family House compound. Many families along that street bought houses there as there is no traffic as it is a “Place” or a dead end boulevard. Unbeknownst to FH that the property at the end of Hillcrest belongs to the land owners on either side. Apparently, they didn’t sell out so the road could be continued onto Giess\Family House property. It appears the choices then were to go down Nebraska (another little quiet dead end that home owners there probably bought their house due to lack of traffic and an awesome view of the river) or find a way off of Abingdon. Looks like Nebraska. Not that it is a bad project, but the sneak attack left some residents with a bad taste in their mouths and that probably doesn’t make everyone supportive. I wonder how that property is zoned?
I’m willing to bet all the people in that area were happy Geiss bought it as it was also rumored at the time that he bought it that another bidder wanted to put low rent or subsidized housing there. And I personally can not fault Geiss for unloading it. Paying property tax year after year to ensure longevity of old oaks isn’t his responsibility. Too bad something could not have been worked out with the park district as the article stated.
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:43 pm
[...] going to build a new home, but I had no idea it where it was going to be. That is, not until I read PeoriaIllinoisan’s post today. It looks like it’s going to be built on land that was once purchased specifically to [...]
November 4th, 2008 at 9:16 am
This project/plan was announced to the public a few years ago at a meeting for all of the residents of the neighborhood area welcome to attend. I was at the meeting that was at All Saints Greek Orthodox Church. Family House has no intention of removing any more trees than absolutely necessary. Dr. Geiss saved this area by purchasing the land to insure that it would not be commercial property (at least that is my understanding). He probably feels that Family House is a great institution and will do nothing but enhance the area and neighborhood around it. Family House has gone out of it’s way to communicate with the surrounding neighborhood and should be commended. Thank you,
Phil Harris
November 4th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Phil,
I was at that meeting, too. Telling the neighborhood “this is what we are going to do” isn’t “going out of its way to communicate with the surrounding neighborhood”. It is taking a page out of District 150’s book reminiscent of trying to put Glen Oak School in Glen Oak Park following the “you are going to like it or too bad” doctrine.
November 8th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
[...] This also sits on the land which Neighborhood House is to build their new facility. [...]