Peoria Standard

The Peoria Downtown Advisory Committee met May 12.

The Downtown Advisory Commission advises the mayor and council concerning policies, development and operations within Peoria's Downtown, Riverfront and Warehouse Districts. The committee meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 4:00 p.m.

Here are the minutes of the meeting as provided by the Peoria Downtown Advisory Committee:

A regular meeting of the Downtown Advisory Commission was held on Thursday, May 12, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. at the Peoria Art Guild, 203 Harrison, Peoria, with Chairman Mark Misselhorn presiding and with proper notice having been given.

ROLL CALL

The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m.

Roll Call confirmed the following Commissioners physically present: Mark Misselhorn, Kip Strasma, John Gibson, Alison Daley, Ray Lees, Jon Jenkins, Adam Hamilton (at 4:35 p.m.) (7).

Absent: Becky Frye (1).

City Staff Present: Chris Setti, Kim Smith, Stacy Peterson

City Council Present: Sid Ruckriegel

Chairman Misselhorn thanked Eric Hansen of Crawford, Murphy and Tilly for hosting the Commission meeting.

MINUTES

Commissioner Jenkins motioned for approval of the minutes of the regular Downtown Advisory Commission (DAC) meeting held on April 20, 2016, as printed; seconded by Commissioner Gibson. The motion was approved unanimously.

PRESENTATION REGARDING 203 HARRISON

Eric Hansen of Crawford, Murphy and Tilly (CMT) provided a brief history of his company, a civil engineering firm based in Springfield, IL. Mr. Hansen leads the Peoria office which has been a tenant of 401 SW Water since that property was renovated. CMT has purchased 203 Harrison which will serve as the new home to their offices. CMT will occupy the second floor. CMT has offered to allow the Peoria Art Guild, from whom the building was purchased, to remain in their first floor office rent-free through the end of 2016. The Guild has also been offered use of the basement studios and classrooms for the next few years.

Mr. Hansen introduced Bill King, President of the Board for the Peoria Art Guild. Mr. King gave a history of the Guild. He stated that their premier event was the annual Art Fair in late September. He discussed the Guild’s financial struggles due to a renovation loan and how the decision to sell was difficult. He expressed gratitude to CMT for the purchase and arrangement.

PRESENTATION REGARDING 701 MAIN

Kert Huber provided an overview of his proposed development of 701 Main. The property was built in 1924 as an apartment building with 34 units. Each unit was a 433 square foot studio apartment. He intends to create about 10,000 square feet of Class A commercial office space on the first floor and 28 residential units (18 studio, 6 one bedroom and 4 two bedroom units) on the 2nd and 3rd floors. He discussed the strategic value of this building in a “bookend development” with great development at the other end of Main Street. He stated that City inspectors had been great to work with and that his project was utilizing the International Existing Building Code. He also stated that the River Edge Redevelopment Zone tax breaks and historic tax credits were positives. The building is being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. He stated that some of the project negatives were asbestos remediation, the need to replace everything, a lack of onsite parking and “razor thin” financial projections. He stated that the project should be done this Fall.

DISCUSSION OF BRADLEY STUDENT SURVEY

Commissioner Daley discussed a survey that she conducted of Bradley students regarding their perception and use of downtown. The survey had 42 respondents. Ms. Daley discussed the results. Students stated that there needed to be better transportation options between Bradley and downtown, such as a shuttle bus or rental bikes. The majority of respondents felt that downtown was safe and clean. Students provided their ideas for things they would like to see in downtown, such as movies, more green space, better walkability and free attractions. 36 of 42 responded that they would be more likely to visit a downtown business that offered a discount to Bradley students.

Chairman Misselhorn thanked Ms. Daley for her effort and comment on the positives of the survey, especially the percentage of respondents reporting that downtown was safe and clean. He felt that downtown activities needed to be better communicated to Bradley students and that transportation alternatives needed to be explored.

Councilman Ruckriegel suggested that students needed to be communicated with earlier in their Bradley careers, such as during freshman orientation. Commissioner Gibson suggested that the Enjoy Peoria visitor guide might be a good resource for incoming students. Commissioner Lees wondered if downtown events might not be in direct competition with events held on-campus.

CONTINUED DISCUSSION OF DOWNTOWN PLANNING ACTIVITIES

Senior Urban Planner Kim Smith reminded the Commission of the City’s use of Civic Art Works as a platform to generate ideas for downtown. She walked the Commission through the tool, demonstrating to them how to create an account, enter an idea and support and/or comment on other ideas. She stated that they were planning to hold a large kick-off event on June 23. She discussed the different types of project that could be entered into the project and showed some examples. She encouraged the Commission and audience to enter ideas now.

DISCUSSION OF DOWNTOWN CIRCULATOR

Michael Freilinger, Executive Director of the Downtown Development Corporation (DDC), discussed a plan for a pilot program that would create a circulator for downtown. He stated that the cost of the pilot would be $50,000 and would ideally run from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Monday through Friday from 11 am until 2 pm. The plan was to run two routes, clockwise and counterclockwise, so that a shuttle would be available every 10 minutes. He stated that they were currently seeking funding. Mr. Freilinger briefly discussed some of the projects that were underway in downtown, including the Murray Building, Persimmon Lofts, Winkler Lofts and Cooperage 214.

NEW BUSINESS

Chairman Misselhorn announced a clean-up day organized by Peoria City Beautiful for the flower boxes on Washington Street.

PUBLIC COMMENT

None.

ADJOURNMENT

Commissioner Lees made a motion to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Commissioner Jenkins. The motion carried unanimously. The Downtown Advisory Commission Meeting adjourned at approximately 5:40 p.m.