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Peoria City Council Votes to Extend Riverfront Land Option, Again

WCBU News

The Peoria City Council may have thrown a roadblock in the purchase of property along the riverfront.

The city had planned to buy what is called the Simantel property adjacent to Riverfront Park. That is to satisfy the 1999 purchase of land for the Riverplex which involved federal funds. The city is still waiting for National Park Service approval of the Simantel purchase.

City staff asked for an extension of an option to September 30 on the property for five-thousand six hundred dollars. Council members balked as that would be a ninth extension of the option.

City manager Patrick Urich reminded the council that without an option, the park service will not consider the potential sale. That would then require finding new property.

"We’re starting this all over. We’re starting through this process. It’s going to take hours of staff time to do that. And you’re going to be taking people away from other issues you may want them focused on, because we’re going to have to still satisfy the federal government when it comes to this issue," says Urich.

The council voted to ask the property owner to extend the option to the end of September at no additional cost to the city.