East Peoria entrepreneur Roy Sorce is proposing a recreational cannabis start-up in the city's downtown.
Sorce wants to place a recreational cannabis dispensary at 300 South Main, near the shopping center across the street from Kroger.
Jared Vogel, a Sorce representative, said Sorce is proposing the property near Firehouse Pizza after the city council rejected a proposal at his property along Illinois Route 116.
"That is the only space that we're planning to lease, leaving the other tenants there," said Vogel. "We do have a plan, though, to lease to buy, if we want to, though, and that would include the entire property."
Vogel saif he believes there is enough parking in the plaza to accommodate the recreational cannabis dispensary. He saif Sorce has heard no concerns from the grocery store or other neighboring businesses.
The dispensary would still need approval from the East Peoria City Council and licensing from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation before it could open.
The Zoning Board of Appeals approved it on a narrow 3-2 vote.
NuMed is currently the only licensed marijuana dispensary in East Peoria. City code allows for up to three dispensaries.
New multi-family apartments
An old Sunnyland bar could soon be an apartment complex.
East Peoria Developer Jeff Geibelhausen wants to convert the old Cue Works tavern into a 5-unit apartment complex.
"By doing this, we're able to get this property back into business, so to speak, because it has been vacant for some time," said Geibelhausen. "And at the same time, we're able to address a growing housing need."
The property at 2480 Washington Road has been a bar for the last 7 decades. Geibelhausen said he believes the growing "housing crisis" has create a demand for more affordable housing in the Sunnyland area between East Peoria and Washington.
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