More parking is in the works for Peoria’s Warehouse District.
The Peoria City Council has approved the purchase of property along SW Washington Street for $250,000 for the project.
Assistant City Manager Kimberly Richardson says the city is looking at future property development that could bring about 175 new residential units to the Warehouse District.
“As we continue to see interest in the Warehouse District for residential parking, we are going to continue to see the need to acquire additional parking in that area. So this is the first step in making sure that occurs,” said Richardson.
The land purchase is being financed through the Warehouse District’s Tax Increment Financing Fund.
Tax Increment Financing – or TIF – funding allows local governments to invest up-front in public infrastructure and capital improvement projects with the expectation of future increased tax revenues generated by the investment.
Community Development Block Grant funds awarded to Peoria nonprofits
Six Peoria non-profits now have the funds to move forward with much-needed capital improvements.
The Peoria City Council approved $448,000 in Community Development Block Grant money for projects at Heartland Health Services, Peoria Friendship House, PCCEO, East Bluff Community Center and the Minority Business Development Center.
The city created a capital grant program for non-profits in 2022.
“I think this is an incredibly valuable program for the non-profit community. This money will have impact for years to come as investment in buildings to fix roofs, HVAC systems and things like that. So it’s not just a one and done type thing," said City of Peoria Community Development Director Joe Dulin.
Block grant money for the programs came from federal American Rescue Plan funding the city received to help bolster local businesses.
Dulin says the city has been working to ensure a portion of that funding is ear-marked for local non-profit organizations supporting the community.
Remembering former mayor Richard Carter
The Peoria City Council also paid tribute to former Peoria mayor Richard Carver, who passed away on Friday at the age of 85.
During his tenure, Carver led the way for numerous city development projects – including the University of Illinois School of Medicine at Peoria and the Peoria Civic Center.
Mayor Rita Ali said Carver was a strong consensus-builder, who left a legacy of accomplishments that went beyond urban development.
“Carver established one of the first committees for equal employment in the country, created a program where all commissioned fire and police personnel achieved entry-level emergency medical technology certificates, and developed a public/private study for cost control to ensure that the money within the city government was spent responsibly,” said Ali.
Carver served as mayor of Peoria from 1973 to 1984.
