© 2024 WGLT
A public service of Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Mixed-Use Housing In The Works For EP's Levee District

Tim Shelley / WCBU

You may soon be able to live in East Peoria's Levee District.

Mayor John Kahl said two major mixed-use developments are in the works. One would be just west of East Peoria City Hall. The other would be erected by Lock 2 along the riverfront. 

Those buildings would include both commercial and residential space. 

Kahl said residential development was always an aspiration for East Peoria's new downtown, but bulking up the area's business development came first.

"I wanted to get a little aggressive in regards to, hey, when we came up with that Downtown 2010 plan, there was a residential component," he said. "And, you know, as we continue statewide to lose population, what are we doing as a community to draw more people in?" 

Kahl said because East Peoria is landlocked by the river and other communities, that makes new growth hard. So he said the city needs to use the space it does have in creative ways.

"We don't have a lot of areas of opportunities to grow residentially, so why don't we take a look at what areas we do, and wouldn't it be nice to have mixed-use be a part of that," he said.

Kahl said he hopes to announce more details soon. 

Copyright 2021 WCBU. To see more, visit WCBU.

Tim Shelley is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.