The City of Peoria will pursue possibly selling or leasing the Gateway Building. The City Council voted 10-1 to issue a request for proposals to that end. According to the council communication, city staff will now:

…solicit proposals and once received will assemble a committee consisting of representatives from the Legal, Economic Development, Public Works and City Manager’s Office who will then review the RFPs and evaluate on the following criteria:

1. Proposals that do not require public contribution or incentives (15%)
2. Price for the property (20%)
3. Proposers ability to agree to the continued use of public restrooms (15%)
4. Proposals that continue the public access to the Riverfront (15%)
5. Proposals that generate pedestrian traffic on the Riverfront (15%)
6. Highest and Best Use (20%)

Although at-large councilman Eric Turner vehemently opposed the idea of selling the Gateway building during his interview on WCBU’s Outside the Horseshoe program, during the council meeting he weakly countered that “not everything government does is intended to make a profit; some of it is quality-of-life,” yet simultaneously said he would support the motion.

First district councilman Clyde Gulley was the lone “no” vote. He thought the council should decide on a price before sending out an RFP. Leaving it vague, he believed, could potentially waste a lot of time on the part of city staff and those making proposals.