Business View Magazine | June 2019

355 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JUNE 2019 EDWARDSV I LLE , I LL INOI S Going Beyond the Business 618-659-9833 | 877-456-5419 | gorijulianlaw.com With over 200 employees, the Gori Julian and Associates’team are your friends, neighbors and champions of more than 150 local charities and causes. In addition to the support we provide to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, we have given more than $3.4 million locally to a variety of charities. ASBESTOS LITIGATION PERSONAL INJURY COMMERCIAL LITIGATION MEDICAL MALPRACTICE PHARMACEUTICAL LITIGATION REAL ESTATE LAW Learn more about our firm and our tremendous community outreach efforts. investment ability to go out and buy something in the suburbs or in our more expensive neighborhoods. So they’re taking advantage of the cheaper space, and do not necessarily want to own a vehicle. We do have Uber and Lyft available in our community and that’s quite popular. The bike trails and the walkability of the community is something we’ve been working on for 10-plus years.” “The other side, my generation and a little bit older, are asking if we really want to spend two hours maintaining our yard every weekend and dealing with the taxes associated with owning larger lots and a larger home,” Patton adds. “That price point on the mixed-use seems to be very attractive when you look at property taxes in Illinois and some of the other states with a reputation for higher property taxes. We have an excellent school system, so few complain about paying a little bit more for that. But there is certainly an attractive approach to maybe selling the house and large lot and living in a mixed-use development that has the features you are looking for, whether it be a fitness room, computer room, a resort-style pool, etc. Those are very attractive things for both the younger generation and the generation that may be winding down a little bit, not necessarily wanting to retire, but certainly wanting to simplify their life and the busyness of their life.” The state of Illinois turned 200 years old in 2018 so Edwardsville kicked off an initiative to acquire 200 acres of green space as a gift forward for the next generation. So far the city has acquired and annexed 152 acres with another annexable parcel it’s looking at that would cap the number slightly above 200. “That’s been very well received by all our residents,” Patton says. “They realize we have great economic growth and possibilities occurring right now, but they don’t want to see our community changed. Every kid should have an opportunity to walk in the woods, and jump in the creek, and get muddy. We still have that kind of subdivision development and still have that kind of community where it’s not all brick and mortar and concrete.” Walt Williams, Edwardsville’s Economic/