Last modified: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 10:43 AM CDT

Town Center' plans raise worries about flooding

By Chris Coates

Plans to erect a $1 billion retail and entertainment complex in Glen Carbon picked up another opponent last week, this time a frequent critic of ventures built on flood-prone land.

"They're not paying attention to the flood plain," said Madison County Board member Helen M. Hawkins (D-Granite City), who has spent years opposing a laundry list of projects she contends hurt the environment and residents.

The latest is University Town Center, a proposed retail, office and residential area planned on about 900 acres at interstates 255 and 270. The enormous undertaking, which still requires various approvals and a funding plan, would sit on what's now mostly undeveloped farmland hemmed in by the freeways and Illinois routes 162 and 157.

Developer Bruce Holland wants to construct several dozen retail, residential, offices, restaurants and hotel buildings. Boosters framed the project as a major regional entertainment center that will create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue.

But Hawkins thinks the proposal will also eliminate the valuable flood plains that absorb rainwater and runoff between the bluffs and Mississippi River. Without it, she said, the water will end up in basements and properties to the west.

"It shows the problem here," said Hawkins, a member of the county Planning and Development Committee. "It's all this development."

The environmental group American Bottom Conservancy has also opposed the proposal for similar reasons.

The flood worry became especially obvious after this weekend's heavy showers, which left the Glen Carbon site oversaturated with rainwater. By Monday, areas that were dry last week were filled with several inches of water, including a football field-sized slice of land on the southern end of the property.

Asked about the issues, Rebecca Rausch, a Holland spokeswoman, said the developers are aware of the flooding problems. But she also said various plans are in place to address the conditions, including raising the entire site about 10 feet and constructing a series of retention ponds.

"The site was designed with geography in mind," Rausch said. "It is in a flood plain."

A rendering shows 20 water basins, including a 23-acre pond near the main retail elements. Similar ponds are in place on several projects built in recent years on flood-prone land east of the Mississippi River, including Eastport Plaza in Collinsville and Gateway Commerce Centerin Edwardsville.

Rausch said the site will also include various lawns to soak up water. Construction is scheduled to start next year.

The measures ultimately face approval from various state and county agencies, along with the Glen Carbon Village Board and the Army Corps of Engineers, which rules on developments in flood areas.

"All of the issues will be explored," Rausch said.

The environmental concerns for now have taken a back seat to more vocal opposition about the project's primary funding mechanism, a type of tax-supported financing called Sales Tax and Revenue bonds.

The proposal, which needs approval from state lawmakers, allows developers to float costs for big projects until they turn a profit from the businesses.

Numerous area municipal leaders have said the funding plan will hurt local business and tax streams. Several local lawmakers on May 22 entered an amendment to the legislation that requires another independent study of the bonds and possible negative impacts.

The amendment bans businesses within 25 miles of the site from moving to the center once it opens and ensures certain taxing bodies receive sales tax revenues generated from the retail shops and restaurants.

The state House is expected to vote on the plan before the session ends Friday. The state Senate approved the legislation in early April.

Hawkins, the County Board member, said she's hopeful lawmakers will carefully consider the impact of the legislation and the Glen Carbon endeavor.

"I hope it gets defeated," she said.