Downsized plans for a mixed-used office and commercial building at the former Save A Lot grocery store site in Peoria Heights have board members considering whether the village codes need to be strengthened.
While original plans approved earlier this year called for a three-story building, developers are now moving forward with a two-story structure on the same footprint along North Prospect Road.
Trustee Sarah DeVore said the building's height was key to the board's original vote to approve the $12.5 million project.
“Whether or not that change ultimately violates our code, I feel, is a matter of interpretation. But there is no question that it materially changes the project that was presented to the public and approved by this board,” said DeVore.
“Had the current two-story design been proposed originally present to the board, I cannot say with confidence that my vote would have been the same. What concerns me the most in this situation, among several others, we have found ourselves in highlights of weakness in our code.”
While Peoria Heights has already started the process of updating its zoning code, village attorney Mark Walton told trustees the current code does not define a “material change” that would return an approved project to the board for review and reapproval.
At a previous meeting, trustee Nate Steinwedel said the revised project is “not merely an architectural tweak.”
Mayor Matt Wigginton argued the village needs to maintain a reputation of being business friendly and should not abandon the project over the amended plan. Demolition at the site has already started.
“I’m development friendly, and I want to see investment continue in Peoria Heights,” said Devore. “Growth, redevelopment, private investment are important to the future of this community.
“However, our responsibility is not to the developers, but to the residents who have elected me and us to ensure the process we establish is fair, transparent, and consistently followed, supporting development, protecting the interest of our residents, should not be mutually exclusive goals.”
The board voted unanimously, with one absence, in favor of a tax increment financing [TIF] agreement that will reimburse the developers up to $2.5 million. The agreement includes incentives for the developer to fill at least part of the space with sales tax-producing businesses.
The building will have retail space on the first floor and offices on the second floor. Developers have a long-term lease in place with accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen.
Construction is expected to take up to two years.
