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Warehouse District set for building work

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After almost three years of construction, Peoria’s Warehouse District is ready  ̶  for more construction.

“Now, the fun begins,” declared City Councilman Ryan Spain, who has been the city’s front man on the Warehouse District since its inception, during a special ceremony Thursday at the place work began, at the intersection of Washington and Liberty streets.

The ceremony was to cut the ribbon on the Warehouse District, an official declaration that it is open and ready for business. The street work, mostly paid for with a federal Tiger II grant along with city funding, is finished and the streets are more pedestrian friendly and nicely landscaped. “The funding for this came from every citizen in Peoria,” said City Councilwoman Denise Moore, whose First District includes the Warehouse District. “We can all be proud.”

Spain said work will continue.

“The construction doesn’t stop. The investments of the public sector now pave the way for the investments of the private sector,” Spain said just before he and several other political and civic leaders cut the ribbon with the Portal sculpture that marks the entryway to the Warehouse District in the background.

Spain said several developments are in the works to turn the old warehouses in the 30-block district into places of business and residence, thus breathing new life into a large section of downtown Peoria. Some projects have started; others are in the design stage and are unknown to the public.

Steven Morris, vice chairman of the Peoria County Board, said when the developments become known, it will be exciting. “This will be the catalyst for all the private business that are here and will be coming here as a result,” he said.

While the actual construction on the streets occurred over a period of about 2½ years, work on the overall projects has been ongoing much longer. The city dove in about six years ago when Spain and a contingent of officials went to Washington, D.C. to meet with U.S. Department of Transportation leaders about the Tiger II grants earmarked for street work in America’s cities.

Since that time, Spain said, “It has been an incredible journey.” He thanked all those who joined him on the journey, from the public sector to the private individuals who helped with the project.

State Sen. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, whose father Ray LaHood was U.S. Transportation Secretary when ground was broken on the project, said the Warehouse District will be one of those cases where the public sector spends the money and the businesses come. “The collaboration that went into this project is a testament to the commitment of everybody involved,” he said.

Jennifer Allison, a spokesman for State Sen. David Koehler, D-Peoria, said the senator has been a believer in the Warehouse District from the beginning. He looks forward, she said, “to the growth and endless investment it will bring.”

State Rep. Jehan Gordon, D-Peoria, said this project was a top priority when she was first elected six years ago, so it was gratifying to see it reach this stage. She said the success to date, from obtaining the federal and state grants for the street work to getting it finished, shows what can get done when bipartisan efforts are put forth. “When it comes to fighting for Peoria, we all come together. Now it’s time to let businesses do what they do best, which is grow and prosper and flourish.”

To date, completed projects include a restaurant (Sugar) and office and art studio space. More restaurants are planned and many of the buildings in the district are slated for mixed uses that will include apartments and condominiums. 

About the Author
Paul Gordon is the editor of The Peorian after spending 29 years of indentured servitude at the Peoria Journal Star. He’s an award-winning writer, raconteur and song-and-dance man. He also went to a high school whose team name is the Alices (that’s Vincennes Lincoln High School in Indiana; you can look it up).