Shiloh uses TIF to remove development barriers, position village for growth

By ALAN J. ORTBALS
    Over the last 16 years, the village of Shiloh has established four TIF districts, each of them aimed at solving problems, removing barriers to development and positioning the community for growth.
    TIF A is its oldest district. Created in 2002, it was established to enable the development of the Green Mount Crossing shopping center at the intersection of Green Mount Road and Frank Scott Parkway. TIF was used to assist with the relocation of a creek that divided the land, expand the intersection of Green Mount and Frank Scott, and install traffic lights. Later, parts of the shopping center were impacted by mine subsidence. The village stepped in and created a special business district to assist in the remediation of the undermining problem.
    TIF B is adjacent to TIF A and runs over to Scott Air Force Base. It includes the new Memorial Hospital East. The village was also able to put TIF to work to assist in the location of the MITRE Corp. adjacent to the base. MITRE is a nonprofit organization that operates research and development centers sponsored by the federal government that assist the government with scientific analysis, development and acquisition, and systems engineering and integration.
    TIF C is perhaps unique in the state of Illinois, according to Shiloh Mayor Jim Vernier. This district was created specifically to develop a new elementary school in the Mascoutah school district. Home builders eschewed the site because the nearest elementary school was 13 miles away. The village worked with the developer and the school district in the creation of the TIF district to create a master planned community, the Villages at Wingate. In addition to a variety of housing choices from senior living to villas to executive homes, the development will also include retail and professional office space.
    TIF D is the village’s newest district. A 125-acre commercial development is planned for the site but construction has not yet begun. TIF was necessary, Mayor Vernier said, because the land was bifurcated with four streams making most of the property undevelopable. The village was able to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to combine the four streams into one. The site is now cleared, graded and ready for development. The village also created a 13-acre lake and walking trail on the property.