Peoria Standard

City of Peoria Downtown Advisory Commission met Nov. 10.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission

A regular meeting of the Downtown Advisory Commission was held on Thursday, November 10, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. at Twin Towers HR Training Room, 456 Fulton, Room 420, with Chairman Mark Misselhorn presiding and with proper notice having been given.

ROLL CALL

The meeting was called to order at 4:35 p.m. Roll Call confirmed the following Commissioners: Present (6): Mark Misselhorn, Angie Walker, Kim McGhee, Ray Lees, Jon Jenkins, Alma Brown Absent (3): Maykala Suetler, Jack Berres, Jon Neidy

City Liaison: Debbie Van Sickle

Others Present: Mayor Rita Ali, Joshua Gunn, Chris Setti, Lenora Fisher, Doug Leunig, Sharon Gramm, Michael Maloof, J.D. Dalfonso

MEETING OPENING

Chairman Misselhorn welcomed attendees and provided a background on the Value of Downtown. The recap summarized:

∙ IDA Article: The Value of U.S. Downtowns and Center Cities

∙ EPA Study: How Small Towns & Cities Can Use Local Assets to Rebuild Their Economies

∙ Placing Downtown Peoria at the Center of our Civic Improvement Strategy List: A draft collection of current and future downtown developments.

Attendees were asked to add to the list of developments. Responses included:

∙ Phoenix Community Development Services projects

∙ Peoria Civic Center $25M update

∙ Ronald McDonald House

∙ Dozer Park Investments to bring park up to minor league standards

∙ Public art- Main Library Portraits of Peoria project with Big Picture Peoria; $6,000 for augmented reality

∙ Proton Beam installation at the OSF Cancer Institute

∙ Continued investments in the Warehouse District

∙ New parking on the former Depot Street

∙ Housing Study & Providence Point opening

∙ Murray Baker Bridge lighting

GUEST COMMENTS

1: (JD Dalfonso) Discover Peoria serves residents as well as visitors, as it attracts both to events. Hotels were at 90% occupancy the previous Friday. Wayfinding is important. They just bought new software that identifies where people come from within a 50-mile radius and where they go to afterwards.

2: (Chris Setti) The Warehouse District Street improvements “set the table”, but we can’t put all our eggs in one basket. The individual investments are not well connected. There is a need for a cohesive plan and identify where the emphasis should be. Downtown architecture is generally not pleasing, due to large parking decks and civic buildings. It still lacks “a vibe”. Needs walkability and human scale development.

3: (Joshua Gunn) Need to assess how we attract BioPharm. Site selectors said that downtown was like a “donut hole” (boring and empty in the middle). We are missing fun, and the community must invest in fun things to do in downtown such as live music & beer gardens. Durham, NC did a good job. Asks how much funding is for fun and provided the following insights:

a. Place making is needed- Peoria does events great but mid-week nothing happens

b. Clean & Safe program-a commission wore blue shirts and walks around town cleaning and provides a measure of safety. Invest in more lighting for safety & security.

c. Creative beautification-crosswalks that include local artist murals. Alleyway flowers, murals, lighting. Creates connectivity.

d. Peoria has not yet re-urbanized. Need to market

e. How to emphasize Downtown as Peoria. There are no rooftop restaurants/bars

4: Those with intentions to move downtown worry about parking and we need more stores and things to do.

5: (Mayor Rita Ali) The city’s number one priority is downtown, and the City Council is in agreement with this. There has been a disconnect with planning downtown; there are different non-connected projects and plans. Need to understand what’s happening and then be able to envision what downtown can be. City council is talking about removing parking fees except for the parking decks. Smart City developments are needed such as lights, autonomous vehicle and chargers, robots walking around, bicycles offered. Preliminary planning for a downtown passenger rail station is moving forward. There is urgency because there is a lot of money out there right now.

6. ((Ray Lees) Somehow need to connect across the I-74 highway bridge. What's the WOW factor? The CAT parking lot is dead. Ideas include putting something on top of the deck such as a fountain or water feature that travels down the side of the deck and can be seen.

8. (Doug Leunig) Public Art is critical for a vibrancy and attractiveness. Montreal project story Cité Mémoire, $150,000- $300,000 per projector. Need a lot of “dream-scaping” and an Arts Master Plan

9. (Lenore Fisher) The connection between the airport and downtown corridor is our front door to many visitors. The new gateway sign has gone in.

10. (Sharon Gramm) The riverfront master plan is focused on flooding and maintenance. There is no wow factor in it and it stops at Water Street. Need to expand towards the businesses. Parking needs to connect to the businesses and farmers market.

11. (Jon Jenkins) Made one of the first investments in the Sealtest building (condo). They had their business “up North” but now moving the headquarters to downtown because of the amenities within that block. We had to overcome the perception of lack of safety and parking. Suggested watching video: The Economics of Land Use of Downtown. by Urban 3.

12. Distillery Lab discussion: (Chris Setti) Started as a $10M project has now grown to a $13M project. The design documents have been finalized and going out for estimate soon and out for bids in the new year (2023). The start date for construction is the end of 2023. The Central Living lab is a collaboration between IDOT, Peoria County and the City of Peoria to create a smart and connected city. The brokerage agreement allows ROW access to entrepreneurs to do projects such as camera's that capture near vehicle collision misses to determine how better to design street and lights, create a digital twin of the city that other entrepreneurs can use. The initiative is an asset to the market and will help attract additional businesses.

NEW BUSINESS & PUBLIC COMMENT

Have been incorporated into discussion above.

MINUTES APPROVED

Commissioner Jenkins made a motion to approve the October 13th, 2022, DAC minutes; seconded by Commissioner Lees and approved unanimously.

ADJOURNMENT

Commissioner Neidy made a motion to adjourn; seconded by Commissioner Jenkins and approved unanimously. The Downtown Advisory Commission Meeting adjourned at approximately 6:08 p.m.

https://il-peoria.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_12142022-104