Story Published:
Nov 11, 2008 at 9:57 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Nov 11, 2008 at 11:39 PM CDT
Making a few people mad is a risk some Peoria city leaders say they are willing to take, if it will help save the city's downtown.
The Peoria City Council voted almost unanimously Monday night to allow Big Al's to transfer its liquor license.
Mayor Jim Ardis says granting that request was a key part in the deal for a potential hotel project.
Mayor Ardis hopes this move will save what's being called a dying downtown Peoria.
If this potential hotel project, and its potential developer Gary Matthews succeeds, Mayor Ardis says the benefits will be felt throughout Central Illinois.
Monday Night, the Peoria City council cleared the first hurdle in bringing a potential hotel project downtown.
"The bottom line is, if you don't get this other stuff out of the way nothing will happen in the form of a development," says Eric Turner.
The 'stuff' Councilman Turner refers to is moving Big Al's.
Possibly from Main Street to Hamilton Boulevard.
"You've got to find out are there options for those other people so you can move them."
Big Al's potential change in location garnered multiple complaints from area business owners.
Still Mayor Ardis says the potential of the project is worth making a few people unhappy.
"If everything works out right there will be a parking deck associated with it. There will be a full service hotel with a pool and other stuff.
And if the developer can work it out they'd actually like to connect it to the Civic Center."
With a major hotel project possibly coming to downtown Peoria, how will surrounding hotels compete? Well it's a called a Tax Increment Financing District. Otherwise known as a TIF.
"What this TIF will do is allow them to reinvest their one percent additional hotel tax and one percent additional sales tax that will go back to them to help them reinvest in their property."
Councilman Eric Turner says the next step in bringing in this potential hotel project is a memorandum between the council and the developer.
Turner says, basically that means the details are worked out and now the developer will see if he can get bonding to move forward on the project.
Wednesday, Nov 12 at 9:52 AM Soldiers Mom wrote ...
Being from a small town south of Peoria, we have enjoyed the downtown area on many occasions,over decades, and stay often at the local downtown hotels. Many of these hotels are falling into to disrepair, so a new development would go a long way towards keeping us comming back. Main Street Peoria is an icon for many of us, and losing it would be just one more reason NOT to bother traveling the distance to come to "Play in Peoria"..