The City of Peoria may assist the Peoria Chiefs with paying for a portion of Dozer Park upgrades mandated by Major League Baseball.
The necessary upgrades include replacing and extending the protective netting all the way to the foul poles, installing LED lighting and other interior renovations.
At its meeting Tuesday, the City Council will consider a pair of amendments to the Downtown Stadium tax increment financing (TIF) district that was established originally in 2000 and extended through 2035.
The first amendment would provide additional tax increment benefits for project costs, while an amendment to the stadium’s existing redevelopment agreement to support bringing the stadium up to the required standards.
Peoria City Manager Patrick Urich says the upgrades are estimated to cost roughly $4 million.
“We've reworked our redevelopment agreement and the TIF plan itself to take into account the additional expense that they're going to incur, and then make it clear that they would be able to garner some reimbursement of their incremental property taxes,” Urich said.
“It won't cover all of the $4 million; it would probably only cover about $1.5 million of it. But that's the plan going forward right now, that if council approves.”
The team must comply with the MLB standards before the start of the 2025 season to maintain its affiliation.
