With the retail side of East Peoria’s BluTowne mixed-use development opening soon, the city is taking steps to address parking needs in the area.
The city council this week approved a project to add nine on-street parking spaces along West Washington Street, as well as a pedestrian crossing between the BluTowne complex and the Levee District, near Panera Bread.
“As BluTowne [construction] completed, we’ve evaluated, and as always we look at things, and we determined that additional parking spots for the commercial area and the rest of downtown would be worthwhile,” said commissioner Mark Hill.
The council unanimously accepted a bid of nearly $156,000 from Illinois Civil Contractors, Inc., the lowest of three submissions.
The work includes removing the existing curb on the north side of Washington in the project area, adding easy-access parking spaces and installing a signalized crosswalk similar to the one on Washington between City Hall and the shopping center.
Mayor John Kahl noted the inclusion of a signalized crossing adds another layer of safety.
Other business
- The council unanimously approved three separate contracts totaling almost $84,000 on engineering services for water main replacement projects on Bloomington Road, Venture Drive and Kennedy Drive.
- Approved spending about $50,000 to purchase a new service truck for the water department.
- Approved reducing the cap on package-sale liquor licenses by three to 22.
- Approved a request to vacate a portion of Hemlock Avenue east of Hawthorne Avenue near the Twin Oaks Missionary Baptist Church.
