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Revitalizing Freeport: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities for the East Side Community

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The City of Freeport, located in northwestern Illinois, faces unique challenges and opportunities for economic revitalization, particularly in the historically significant East Side neighborhood. With a population of 25,638 and a median family income of $35,589, the area is densely impacted by flooding, dilapidated housing, and limited amenities. Active partnerships with EPA aim to clean up contaminated sites and improve community relations. Tackling FEMA regulations is critical to enhancing homeowners’ investments and fostering sustained growth in the neighborhood.

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Revitalizing Freeport: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities for the East Side Community

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  1. Shelly Griswold, Director of Community Development, City of Freeport Site selection

  2. City of Freeport • Located in northwestern Illinois • Location of one of the historic Lincoln-Douglas debates • Population: 25,638 • Median family income: $35,589 • Growing momentum around economic revitalization of brownfields and other contaminated sites Images: City of Freeport. http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/about/location.htm; http://www.ci.freeport.il.us/livinginfreeport/LincolnDouglas.htm

  3. East Side Neighborhood • African-American community • Cut off from downtown by the Pecatonica River and a railroad • Quality of life impacted by: • Flooding • Dilapidated housing • Limited neighborhood-oriented amenities • Strained relationship with the City limits effectiveness of revitalization discussions

  4. Flood Impacts and Regulation • Pecatonica River experiences frequent flooding. • Disrupts neighborhood life in several city neighborhoods. • FEMA is responsible for designation of floodway areas. • City is responsible for enforcement of floodway regulations related to permitting of construction and improvements.

  5. Top Left: Flooding (ca. 1914-1940), source: http://www.robertbike.com/wienand-photo-album; Bottom Left: Flooding (2013), source: http://www.journalstandard.com Top: Flooding (2013), source: EPA

  6. Disproportionate Impact of FEMA Regulations • FEMA regulations currently limit improvements on structures located in a floodway to half of the structure’s value. • This regulation disproportionately impacts homeowners in the East Side neighborhood. • It has resulted in declining home values and housing quality, which further contributes to a cycle of disinvestment in homes and businesses in the neighborhood.

  7. Engaging with SRI • City has actively partnered with EPA on site cleanup and revitalization for numerous contaminated sites. • In 2011, the City met with the Region 5 Reuse Coordinator to discuss the CMC Heartland site. • The City identified the opportunity to: • foster a broader conversation about neighborhood quality of life on the East Side, • improve strained relationships between the City and neighborhood residents, and • address revitalization of multiple contaminated sites. • SRI identified funding for an areawide planning effort.

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