After more than five years in the works, the Peoria City Council saw plans Tuesday for a redesigned downtown riverfront.
Among other things, the plans call for a dog park, an interactive water feature, and a kayak launch along the Illinois River between the Bob Michel and Murray Baker bridges.
The plan also calls for 18.5 acres of green space, four miles of walking and running paths, and more than 900 new trees.
But the cost is still a big question mark.
"We don't have an actual construction costs. So, the cost average is right now between $15 to $25 million," said George Ghareeb, senior vice president at design firm Terra Engineering. "So it's a big range. And part of the reason is, we are at 30,000 feet high. When we come closer, we could tweak the design a little bit more whether depending on how much money we have."
Second District councilman Chuck Grayeb, whose district includes the downtown area, said the uncertainty around costs gives him "indigestion."
"We should not be at 30,000 feet anymore, folks. We just shouldn't," he said. "We should be ready to land the plane."
The city has secured a $15 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and a $300,000 flooding prevention grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Total flood prevention efforts are likely to cost upwards of $3 million, however. Ghareeb said it may be possible to secure more FEMA money.
In the plans, a flood wall would cover most of the area around the River Station. Pumps would also be used to keep out floodwaters, and a wave attenuator on the north side of the riverfront park area would calm the waters near the shoreline.
But those measures wouldn't fully hold back the Illinois River when waters are elevated. That's why Public Works director Rick Powers said the new infrastructure would need to be resilient, too.
"Resiliency will be built into the fountain, for instance, in that area where we can cap jets and protect it from the floodwaters knowing it's going to flood over them," Powers said. "The type of plantings, the plant materials, that are not susceptible to dying through being underwater per se for a week. That's the resiliency side of the park."
Kevin Graham, senior landscape architect for Terra Engineering, said this problem isn't unique to Peoria.
"There are some other big river cities that have taken this challenge. And so we've gone and visited them, talked to them, lessons learned from them. Don't do this, do this instead. So we're going to employ a lot of those lessons learned here in Peoria," he said.
Council members also raised concerns about the security of the revamped riverfront area. City manager Patrick Urich said the police department would maintain primary responsibility for patrolling the park. Lighting and cameras can also be part of the equation.
At-large councilwoman Bernice Gordon-Young said the new space might actually serve as a deterrent, rather than a source of new issues.
"I think most of us are scratching our heads when it comes to the crime in the city. And and I was so pleased to see you all include the data associated the research associated with green spaces reducing crime. It's true," she said.
Grayeb, the Second District councilman, praised the plan as a "visionary" and "fantastic" roadmap that will better utilize the Illinois River as an asset to spur growth.
"We are not a cornfield city, we are a great city by a great river. And we have not capitalized on that. This plan will actually do that," he said.
The plan goes to the city Planning and Zoning Commission for approval on Aug. 3.
