This is an artist’s rendering of what the former Sears block (now “Museum Square”) could look like under the Heart of Peoria (HOP) Plan, which the council adopted “in principle.” As far as I know, that plan is still the vision for Peoria’s urban renewal. Since the Sears block is perhaps the most visible piece of property in the Heart of Peoria boundaries, the plan paid considerable attention to this development and recommended these principles:
First, it is important that each component of the redevelopment be designed with appropriate street frontage, since the site controls at least three crucial links to the riverfront.
Second, the site should incorporate a mix of uses that will bring activity to the area both day and night. For this reason, the inclusion of a residential component is particularly important. At opposite ends of the block, the scheme includes a hotel and a condominium, both of which would have dramatic views of the river and downtown Peoria.
Third, the scheme needs to repair the connection to the riverfront along Fulton Street, which currently comes to an undignified end on the west side of the Sears block. In the proposed scheme, the Fulton Street axis is continued as a pedestrian walkway through a central plaza. This scheme has several powerful advantages: it continues the view corridor from the downtown to the river; it re-establishes an attractive pedestrian route from the Civic Center to the riverfront entertainment district; it establishes a dramatic sequence of views for pedestrians as they pass through the museum plaza, potentially defining one of the most memorable and imageable locations on Peoria’s improved riverfront.
Now, let’s take a look at the site plan that was adopted by the council in November:
Sorry I couldn’t find a cleaner image than this one, but it’s good enough to serve our purpose. Anything here fit the Heart of Peoria Plan? Nope.
Let’s looks first at what the plan calls “appropriate street frontage.” Later in the plan document it says:
The street frontages of the buildings of the Sears Block must be active. Water Street should have the highest level of pedestrian activity; Main and Liberty should provide support in their pedestrian connection between the Downtown and Riverfront; and Washington Street should allow a proper location for service access while remaining pedestrian-friendly. Significant gaps in the street edge, low-laying structures, service uses and blank walls at the street edge all contribute to a hostile environment unsuitable for street life.
In contrast, the approved site plan has the main entrances off of Washington Street, and no entrance facing Water Street at all. There are “significant gaps in the street edge,” which is one of the things that contributes to “a hostile environment” for pedestrians. Test one, failed.
As for “a mix of uses that will bring activity both day and night,” that was left completely out. If downtown is going to thrive, it’s going to have to be active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is the single most damaging flaw in the design. The plan should have included residential and retail/restaurant components to keep the block hopping long after the museums close. As it is, at night this block will be no different than it is right now — dead.
Finally, it doesn’t “repair the connection to the riverfront along Fulton Street” the way the plan envisioned it. It continues to block one’s view of the river. However, it is a glass arcade, making it conceivable one would be able to see through it to the river, so perhaps this is partially fulfilled.
One of the later recommendations is to “[d]evelop a plan that makes optimal use of the whole block.” The approved site plan is very inefficient in that regard. In fact, the whole feel of the approved plan is a suburban one. This would look right at home at the corner of Lake and University, where Lakeview Museum sits now. But downtown, it looks out of place.
I can’t help but feel this is another opportunity lost. The so-called “crown jewel” of Peoria, Museum Square, will become yet another impediment to the broader vision of downtown revitalization. It will continue to make downtown a place to visit during the day, and retreat from at night.
couldn’t agree more — this is a terrible whiff on the part of Cat and Lakeview.
I agree the museum plan is junk. I think it will pale in comparison to the failure that is now beginning to spiral out of control up on main street. The failed Med-Tech district already renamed/branded before it could even get started. Businesses are closing so fast it is hard to keep track. On the museum block they are developing what was discussed and agreed upon behind the scenes a long time before the idea was sold as something different to the council and the public. Up on the bluff the bandits were stopped when their real motives were realized and window dressing portion of the “district” that they were left with will now begin to wither and die. The whole museum complex was just a cover for a new visitor center for Cat, they got it and maybe they should have, the design blows but the idea is O.K. Up the hill the med/tech was a cover for access to three neighborhoods for Bradley University to expand, when those areas got out the ship began to sink.
Regarding Renaissance Park, that last comment was utter nonsense. It’s the kind of garbage that gives blogging a bad name.
Here are some of the facts:
1. The design for the new incubator fulfills the mandates for new urbanism set out in the Heart of Peoria plan. It’s a $12 million project that’s underway in the middle of the park.
2. Columbia Terrace (one of nine member neighborhoods) is in the process of getting a new streetscape.
3. There’s a new Starbucks coming into Campustown — and one without a drive through, which should encourage increased foot traffic and less auto traffic (another aspect of new urbanism).
4. One World is expanding (thank goodness) and the owners are also planning to launch a new business in the new space they’ve purchased.
5. There’s the rumor of a new medical complex (of some kind) coming to the “medical node” of W. Main Street, located on the site of the former Steak & Shake.
6. At least two abandoned lots have now been converted into “pocket parks“.
7. The W. Main Street Business Redevelopment group just voted to change their name to better represent Renaissance Park. They also voted to expand their borders to better represent all of the businesses in the district. This is the same group that’s paying for the flower baskets (NOT the city) and is considering privately funding a walking beat cop for W. Main Street.
8. The price of W. Main real estate
is on the rise.
All that’s just for starters. One estimate I recently heard is that there is around $100 million in play right now in terms of new development in Renaissance Park.
Now does that sound like a failure?
Renaissance Park is great story for the neighbors of the district, for the businesses and for the institutions.
But instead of getting involved, making your voice heard in an honest community conversation, you’re choosing to cling to a silly grudge (I’m guessing) and spread misinformation to anyone who will listen.
This project may not have started well in terms of public relations (that was an understatement, I know), but it’s going gang-busters now. And neighborhoods like mine are benefiting, as a result.
Believe it or not, positive things can and are happening on the Bluff without your precious neighborhood being involved. So stay there, already. Build your walls higher. The rest of us are getting along just fine.
Anonymous defender of Renaissance Park —
You’ve got to be kidding. (1)Please remind me how far away the Columbia Terrace project is from Main Street and what the hell it has to do with the “Med-Tech” concept? This is a blatent pay back scheme to further enhance the area around Randolph-Roanoke. (2) Why the hard-on for another Starbucks? Are we that desperate? Give me more of One World any day of the week.(3) A new medical complex? You mean one that doesn’t pay property taxes (tax exempt, not for profit) or one that will finally reveal this whole charade to be a TIF district in sheep’s clothing? $100 million in play? Give me a freaking break. Bradley hasn’t even broken its piggy bank to do jack on Main St., while Methodist is cooking up plans to have the city be its “partner” (read “bank”). As the skin of this smelly onion continues to be peeled back week after week, there will be many tears and at the end of the day, very little revitalization of true business to show for it. Enjoy your cup of Starbucks while looking at empty building and lots.
I’d rather enjoy the view from starbucks than a lame corner empty restaurant.
I’m hopeful for the med-tech district but it’s frustratingly slow… so grind the gears of “progress”
We get a fourth tier scaled down strip mall Starbucks across the street from some truly brave pioneers in Urban Streetscape development and in direct competition with their locally owned business. All this in a space that used to hold a full service restaraunt. Walgreens is gone and the building vacant. Pocket parks, I will check out the crowd in those this summer. I do see lots of pavement parks and payday/title loan places popping up, these are new. 100 million being discussed, I just discussed a 200 million dollar project for Main st. with a neighbor so now we can up that number to 300 million. 12 million of my tax dollars to build an office building that will not generate direct revenue. A beat cop will be needed just to run the junkies and drunks out of the pocket parks. The expansion of one world has nothing to do with the medassance park, they have been trying to buy that property for years, the revenue from alchohol sales recently started can be credited for the cash now available for expansion. The next thing we will hear is that the success of the nearby neighborhoods and the rising real estate prices in those areas is because of all the wonderful improvrments on Main Street.
To Anonymous Blogger for post 2 and 4 (I assume the same person): You are full of crap.
Take off the tin foil hat. Van Auken support the Columbia Terrace project, and you think it is because she owes some favor to Randolph-Roanake? I think Van Auken would like order a nuclear strike on the RR rather than improve it. And last I checked, the Med-Tech District was bigger than just Main Street, though that is obviously the focus.
And business closing faster than you can count? More bull. What’s closed, and why has it closed? Plates Restaurant — health code violations, I think (not lack of customers). Lagron Miller — needed bigger space. Walgreens — ditto. That health food store next to Haddad’s — OK, you got me there.
Face it, there is a certain segment of the population that wants MedTech to fail simply so that they can say “See, I told you so.” They will use scare tactics, they’ll ply you with misinformation about TIF districts and if Main Street does revitalize itself, you know they’ll shop there, eat there and maybe even work there. And when they get old (and most of them already are), they’ll sell their Moss Bradley homes for big buckets of money and won’t think twice about giving anyone credit but themselves.
Gentlemen,
When it comes to this “museum,” we are all beginning to miss the point. By now the ‘joke’ about how the new museum will just be a larger carbon copy of the present Lakeview…has gotten around. Not a joke but true. Lakeview spent at least $1 million to hire a worthless consulting firm. The firm made many recommendstions [to the Lakeview board, the collabortion is a myth]. In the end, the interior display areas, Delta Plan exhibit model, etc. all aspects of how Lakeview is presently run. Lakeview is an art museum. They occassionally present themselves as being a “history” museum as well [as the new museum will incorporate art, history, etc] History!??!?!?!? At Lakeview? The only history [and for that fact area archaeology] they have is locked away in there basements collecting dust. Lakeview is an art museum.
The “noteworthy people of the Lakeview/Museum board [one-and -the-same] spent much time travelling around the country comparing this museum to that museum. Hell! They did not know that there are huge differences between art museums and history museums. Why should they? There isn’t an expert involved with this entire project that is familier with either one.
Collaboration? All I see is that idiot Richerson spout the same “legacy” dribble to the masses. Ever notice how the same small circle of Peoria elite sit on the board of every humanities based organization in Peoria? Just whose legacy are we really talking about? I am also sure all of these people are qualified to make decisions on how a museum should be designed, staffed, etc. Wait! Are talking about the same group of whiz-bangs who behind closed doors, tried to con Peoria County out of serious tax dollars? All this sneaking around and only far down the road did any of these brilliant minds find out that Peoria County Board could not legally establish such a tax. 300,000 plus people annually? Do they mean the number of people who will pass the museum on 74 or who will actually pay to go in?
Look at the plans, token service to Peoria history, does not even address Peoria archaeology. A crappy little model of Fort CC and a Native American village? Please.
P.S. Sorry I did not proof-read. Only had a few minutes to write.
I grew up in Peoria and always wondered why the city never gave any importance to the river/riverfront, at least up until now. I believe the comments about 24/7 activity are absolutely correct.
Savannah, GA has a vibrant riverfront, with restaurants, shops, entertainment, and street scenes. The entire stretch is pedestrian friendly, with fantastic views of the river (and it’s traffic) and even the brick and cobblestone streets and alleys were retained.
And while some may not want to delve into the Peoria’s past, people are fascinated by gangsters and mobsters, and their dubious activities and indulgences (bootlegging, gambling, and prostitution, to name a few). Heck, I bet people would pay to see the house where Pryor grew up, and the local clubs where he performed early on. (my guess is that it’s all gone).
Bottomline, the city needs more than a museum downtown. How about cinemas, bowling complex, and/or skateboard park, along with a couple of larger retail draws (Bass Pro Shops or perhaps something to do with racing: NASCAR) People flock to this stuff.
Just my two cents…