Delavan city leaders are anxiously awaiting analysis of citizen input to a focus group committed to helping restore the downtown district to its past glory. An important part of the community’s heritage, Delavan’s downtown has wilted over the last few years with the departure of the popular Harvest Cafe and associated businesses.
Buoyed by an influx of jobs and business property acquisitions courtesy of Revolution Global, a Chicago-based marijuana production business with a production facility located in Delavan, Mayor Elizabeth Skinner feels the town is now poised to “cultivate” additional business and population growth.
“We have hired an outside firm, Win Together, and their purpose is to assist smaller communities such as Delavan that maybe would not have the wherewithal to pay large consulting fees for the kind of service they provide,” said Skinner, who was re-elected mayor of the Tazewell County town of 1,689 in April 2021. “Our elected officials were very excited about being a part of this.”
A week of online focus group discussions offered through the Win Together platform ended January 31, with a pair of in-person meetings scheduled to follow on February 2-3. Skinner, city manager Matt Fick and members of the town council are anxiously awaiting Win Together’s analysis of input and suggestions received from community residents and business owners.
“Downtown is a huge priority of the council and mine, and once businesses there began to shutter there was a big void. We want to change that and get businesses back in those buildings once again,” Skinner said.
Four vacant business units that housed Harvest Cafe, Hometown Wine and Spirits and a recently-expanded tavern and distillery called The Exchange have already been purchased by Revolution, which produces premium flower cannabis, extracts, infusions and edibles for medicinal and adult-use distribution. While Revolution plans to utilize the upper levels of the downtown structures, it intends to lease the main-level businesses for their former purposes.
With a second, 75,000 square foot cultivation center nearing completion, Delavan’s Revolution campus will double its employment base, campus size and cultivation capacity-- along with the employment and tax benefits it contributes to the town and school district.
“Revolution is already the town’s biggest employer, with around 165 workers. With the expansion there will be more than 300 people working there, and for a small community the ramifications are huge,” Skinner said. “We won’t see any tax money from this expansion for a couple of more years, but (the expansion) will double the tax money the city and the school district receive.”
The community of Delavan is currently receiving about $400,000 in tax dollars per year from Revolution, with the school district receiving around $100,000, according to Skinner.
Together with Revolution, the town is actively engaging in efforts to attract prospective entrepreneurs willing to take a chance on the city’s downtown and reopen the shuttered businesses. Skinner is optimistic that positive change is forthcoming.
“The last couple of years have been hard for everyone because of the pandemic, but we think we’re in a good position right now with the (additional) income from Revolution to offer incentives,” she said, adding that those incentives include the utilization of tax increment financing (TIF) to catalyze business and residential development.
“We’re fortunate that when Revolution was in the licensing stage we worked with them to set up a TIF district, and it’s been wonderful for the city and the school district. With their further development they will double the size of their footprint, and we’re excited about what that can mean for our community and to the business incentives we can offer.”
Delavan’s downtown revitalization plan is a part of the city’s three-to-five year strategic plan for economic development approved in August 2021. The strategic plan also includes goals for residential development.
“We’ve identified some respective areas of town where we see the importance in providing an opportunity for residential development, and that’s something really important for a smaller community like ours. Increasing our population is really key,” Skinner said.
Public infrastructure needs are also considered in the town’s strategic plan. Street work and water infrastructure projects have been initiated and will continue to receive funding, as will future projects, the mayor promised.
Increasing high-speed broadband access for Delavan’s residents and expanding fiber optics are also priorities the city council will pursue during the coming months and years. “It’s sometimes challenging to get companies to come into small towns and provide their services, because it is expensive. But we are starting down that path in order to provide great service for not only our businesses but our residents in Delavan,” said Skinner.
Another aspect of Delavan’s 2021 strategic plan calls for increasing the town’s commitment to its strong, independent school district.
“Delavan has a great school, a brand new, state of the art building. We are very fortunate we can still provide a great quality education in a small, very personal atmosphere. (But) residential housing is something we are (in need of), and that’s a big priority for us right now,” said Skinner, adding that the city recently utilized TIF money to partner with the school district in establishing a modern day care center in town to better serve young families locating or relocating in Delavan.
In addition to attracting businesses to the city’s downtown, maintaining school and infrastructure funding and increasing housing options, future priorities for Delavan include improving ambulance service, increasing shopping and food service options, adding a grocery, medical building and fuel station, and improving community engagement in tackling critical issues.
The “Developing Downtown Delavan” plan will be shared during the Delavan City Council meeting of March 1, 2022. More details on the “City of Delavan Strategic Plan 2021” can be accessed through the city’s website at www.delavanil.org.
