Belleville City Council turns down request for TIF funds by developers of Irish pub

Belleville City Council turned down a request for the city to give $25,000 in tax-increment-financing funds to owners of a historic building that’s being renovated to house an Irish pub.

Aldermen who voted “no” at a meeting last week indicated that timing and lack of specificity were factors in their decision. None mentioned the disappointment by historians that the original architecture of a significant building in a historic district wasn’t preserved.

TIF funds are often distributed to developers as incentives for them to take on projects. The partners who plan to open The Harp Pub on West Main Street already have been working on it for more than two years.

Ward 7 Alderman Phil Elmore said their request, presented in the form of a development agreement with the city, didn’t specify how they would spend the money or whether the expenditures were “TIF eligible.”

“I’m glad the motion was denied,” Elmore said. “It was the right thing to do. We have to consider all the other businesses that need help, and we have to consider the taxpayers, of course. This one just didn’t check all the boxes for me.

“But I’m excited about The Harp Pub opening. I can’t wait. I love the location. I love what they’ve done so far. It’s going to be fantastic.”

The partners developing the bar and restaurant at 1112 W. Main St. (formerly 1110-1112) are Glen McElligott and Greg Partelow, who operate under the company name G Level and Squared.

They didn’t attend the City Council meeting last Monday night. The BND reached McElligott by phone on Wednesday.

“It wouldn’t be prudent for me to say anything at this point in time,” he said, noting that he wasn’t sure what had been discussed at the meeting or why the request was denied.

In the development agreement , McElligott and Partelow had promised to spend $395,000 on renovations, complete them by Oct. 31, operate the business for at least five years, produce $300,000 in annual sales subject to sales tax and employ three full-time employees in the first year and seven additional part-time employees in the second year.

The partners would have had to return the $25,000 if they failed to meet these requirements.

Aldermen split on vote

The City Council vote on The Harp Pub request was 7-7, with Ward 2 Alderwoman Jamie Eros and Ward 6 Alderman Chris Rothweiler absent. Mayor Patty Gregory could have broken the tie, but City Attorney Garrett Hoerner noted that nine votes — a majority of the council’s 16 members — were needed for approval.

Those voting against were Elmore, Ward 1 Alderwoman Lillian Schneider, Ward 3 Aldermen Kent Randle and Scott Ferguson, Ward 4 Alderman Raffi Ovian, Ward 5 Alderman Ed Dintleman and Ward 7 Alderman Dennis Weygandt.

Those voting in favor were Ward 1 Alderman Bryan Whitaker, Ward 2 Alderwoman Carmen Duco, Ward 4 Alderman Johnnie Anthony, Ward 5 Alderwoman Shelly Schaefer, Ward 6 Alderwoman Mary Stiehl and Ward 8 Alderwomen Nora Sullivan and Kara Osthoff.

McElligott and Partelow bought the West Main Street building in 2021 from Kevin Kubitschek for $137,500, according to St. Clair County records. Kubitschek, a historic-preservation enthusiast, used it for his law practice and rented out retail and office space.

Since McElligott and Partelow weren’t at the City Council meeting, Cliff Cross, the city’s director of economic development, zoning and planning, answered questions on their behalf.

Cross told aldermen that the partners didn’t ask for TIF funds at the beginning of their renovation project, like many developers, but decided to do so after incurring unexpected costs.

“It was a standard agreement,” Cross said after the meeting. “We do them all the time. Now they’re subject to the development. They’re subject to funding availability. There are certain conditions, but ... We were definitely not asking for any more than any of the others.”

At the meeting, Randy Smith, director of waste water treatment and sewer lines, alluded to a disagreement between the partners and city officials on issues related to the tap-on process and related fees.

Elmore noted that tap-on fees aren’t TIF eligible, but he said he was satisfied that the partners weren’t intending to use the $25,000 for that purpose.

Historians disappointed

Larry Betz, president of Belleville Historical Society, said he would have opposed G Level and Squared getting TIF funds from the city because of what the partners have done to the architecture of an important historical structure in Town of West Belleville Historic District.

They removed the original storefront doors and windows, replaced them with two garage-style doors and painted the brick yellow and black, patterning if off brightly-colored buildings in Ireland.

The two-story building was constructed in the 1850s or 1860s on the town square of West Belleville, a municipality that merged with Belleville in 1882, according to Belleville historian Bob Brunkow. The original owner, Ernst Weissenborn, was a German immigrant who operated a dry-goods and grocery store and served on the village board.

Over the years, the building housed several saloons, a drug store, boarding house, hotel, pool hall, apartments, a shoe store, coffee shop and most recently a book and card shop and professional offices.

Brunkow called the current renovation a “missed opportunity.”

“We want to see that area developed, but we’re concerned about how it’s developed,” he said. “We met the (building’s) owners. They’re very nice. They said we want to do something good for Belleville, and I guess that means different things to different people.

“They could’ve emphasized the historical significance of the building, and that didn’t happen. Perhaps it will be a popular place to go, but the cost ... It’s not a zero-sum game. Something was lost in the community.”

The Historical Society has been working for years to protect and promote Town of West Belleville Historic District. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

But the neighborhood isn’t a Belleville historic district, so it has no restrictions beyond regular housing codes, and despite years of lobbying by Betz, the city hasn’t enacted a landmark ordinance. Officials have speculated that many property owners would be against it.

McElligott said he supports the Historical Society’s overall mission.

“I’m not going to be upset with someone if they don’t like my interpretation of what I want to do,” McElligott said. “(Historical Society leaders) probably need more funding, and they need more help if they want to restore and retain as much of the old as possible.

“I work in St. Louis, and I’ve seen a lot of older buildings do modern touch-ups and stuff like that, and it hasn’t (taken) away from the quality of the structure.”

City owns town square

The Historical Society is restoring an 1876 brick German folk house, known as the Ebeling-Maurer House, in Town of West Belleville Historic District with plans to turn it into a museum. It’s next door to The Harp Pub building.

Both buildings border the former West Belleville town square, where farmers came to weigh hay, coal and other commodities. Weissenborn was the official village weigher.

Betz and Brunkow would like to see reproduction weigh station built someday to give visitors a glimpse of life in the 19th century.

Betz said he wishes the city, which owns the town-square property, hadn’t allowed McElligott and Partelow to build a patio on it. Cross countered that it’s no different from the city allowing restaurants in downtown Belleville to put tables and chairs on sidewalks.

“It’s just really an improved outdoor dining area in a public space,” he said.

There will always be conflicts between historic preservation and economic development, said Jack LeChien, co-chairman of the Gustave Koerner House Restoration and former longtime chairman of Belleville Historic Preservation Commission.

LeChien was part of the effort to get Town of West Belleville Historic District placed on the National Register of Historic Places. He and other historians thought preserving and promoting the neighborhood’s unique history could attract businesses and increase tourism.

LeChien gave the example of New Orleans as a city that has capitalized on the “distinctive charm” of its historic architecture.

“Ultimately, it comes down to, ‘Are we going to trade this for that? Are we going to encourage some new bar to come in and create some jobs and some tax revenue, or is (a building) going to sit there awhile, and who knows what?

“I think generally that (West Belleville) could have a rebirth, but it does start with a spark, and when one guy does something, word starts getting around that, ‘Hey, things are starting to happen there.’ And that’s when other rehabbers and developers understand that they can make a buck, and that’s what it’s all about. You’ve got to make money.”