Peoria City officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new assisted living project in the first district. The GateWay at River City is a planned $21 million living facility for adults with physical disabilities. Peoria Developer Leslie McKnight says the location for the project meshes with the rest of the city:
“There’s mixed-income housing, it’s close to downtown, there’s churches and there’s supportive services in the area.”
The project did not receive any financial benefit from the now-expired SouthTown Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, district. But First District City Councilwoman Denise Moore says the TIF did help surrounding projects like Kindred Hospital and Spring Grove Homes:
“It suggests that the TIF was instrumental in building the environment that allowed this type of development to think this was possible.”
The nearest similar assisted living community is in Champaign. The 106-unit project is set to open next November.