Semicon site is unsightly

The ST Semicon Property needs major work. It has been a constant eyesore in Bloomington's downtown and should be renovated. The property, which includes several boarded-up buildings and one vacant house, is an environmental hazard.\nWhile property owners should generally be given discretion to do as they wish with their land, at some point a community's interests outweigh those property rights. Guidelines are set up to follow economic and environmental decorum, showing respect for the community. As it sits the building thwarts the community's economic health. \n The property owner is not following these guidelines. City officials have put together a plan for a receiver to oversee the property, likely meaning new development on the site. In order to assign the receiver, the City has petitioned the Monroe Circuit Court to find in its favor -- that the property has been negligently disregarded.\nHousing has been viewed as a possible option for the property. If housing is developed, the property must first meet a standard of respectability provided by the receiver.\nEngineers have testified in court that the buildings are in risk of collapsing in persisting bad weather. When a building is in danger of falling, it becomes the public's job to ensure the safety of our community.\nIn October 1992, Bloomington Investment Group purchased the ST Semicon site. The property was a blemish on our community then, and continues to be problematic now. This property is an obstacle to the vision of a walkable community near the heart of downtown Bloomington.\nReceivership for this property would be a good idea. It would give the opportunity to bring the property up to par and would help Bloomington and the IU community. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management standards would be met and the property would be economically valuable.\nChemicals have been found at the site, and while Bloomington Investment Group has spent money on cleaning up the area, those efforts have not been strong enough. The buildings are still dangerous and unlivable, and need to be fixed to meet some sort of community standard.\nNine-story apartments have been proposed as an option for the property, and while this idea was in the realm of economic prosperity, the idea was rejected. Just about anything would be better for Bloomington's downtown than the way it looks now.