“An important part of maintaining the traditional neighborhoods of Peoria has to do with recognizing, preserving, and, when necessary, reinforcing their historic character.”

— Andres Duany, Heart of Peoria Plan, 2002

The city really, really wants you to come to their charrette this weekend. They’re begging you. As a long-time proponent of New Urbanism and the Heart of Peoria Plan, I urge you to attend as well. Here’s what it is and how you can participate:

The City of Peoria, led by the Planning Department and Heart of Peoria Commission, is initiating a significant project impacting nearly 8,000 acres of the Heart of Peoria. The Planning Department and Heart of Peoria commission are being assisted by commission representatives from Renaissance Park, Zoning, and Planning Commission, plus business representatives from Prospect, Sheridan, and the Warehouse District. The project is the second major phase in the implementation of the Heart of Peoria (H.O.P.) Plan that was completed in 2002 by Duany Plater-Zyberk. The first was the impressive work that has been done, and continues to be done, for the Renaissance Park area.

This project, Phase II, provides an opportunity for Peoria citizens to work with a team of nationally recognized experts to create a plan, and implement that plan through a form-based code. This will be a Peoria plan to represent what Peoria wants in residential and business neighborhoods. The new codes that are created to represent what we want will be tools to help in the revitalization and redevelopment of established business and residential neighborhoods.

It may seem like zoning/coding is somewhat arcane, but it really can make a big difference to the character and health of our older neighborhoods. If you’ve ever had a home or business pop up near you that just didn’t fit the character of your neighborhood, you know what a negative impact it can have. This is an opportunity for you to have input into how the heart of Peoria should look and feel and have it codified; plus, this is open to everyone. You don’t have to own a big business or be some sort of mover and shaker to have your ideas taken seriously.

If you want to go, here’s the schedule:

Studio H.O.P. Kick Off Presentation

• Friday, May 19—6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
  Peoria Civic Center, room 221 and 222

Charrette Sessions (Studio H.O.P., 2nd floor Iron Front Building, 424 S.W. Washington, Peoria)

• Saturday, May 20—8:30 a.m. to 12:30 noon
  Heart of Peoria charrette sessions for Sheridan-Loucks, Prospect Road and Heart of Peoria neighborhoods
• Sunday, May 21—2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  Heart of Peoria charrette sessions for the Warehouse District

Studio H.O.P. Designers at Work (Studio H.O.P., 2nd floor Iron Front Building, 424 S.W. Washington, Peoria) You are invited to watch Ferrell Madden urban designers at work on our plans.

• Monday, May 22—8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 23—8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 24—8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Work in Progress Presentation (Peoria Civic Center, room 221 and 222)

• Thursday, May 25—6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
  Studio HOP Work-in-Progress Presentation
  Ferrell Madden Associates and their team present plans for our neighborhoods

It’s worth attending. I hope you can make it.