East Peoria Downtown Development

In order to formulate and implement programs to increase job opportunities for residents, expand the city’s tax base and increase the level of economic activity, the City of East Peoria initiated an East Peoria Downtown Development project. The city plans to create a vibrant new mixeduse center for East Peoria incorporating the fundamentals of New Urbanism, all in a way that brings together the three driving forces in the City’s life – Community, Commerce and Technology. It was another phase in an over 400-acre transformation that has seen the likes of Wal-Mart Supercenter, Lowe’s, a half-dozen restaurants and other businesses neighboring a John Q. Hammons Embassy Suites and adjacent Conference Center all open – and with great success. East Peoria/ Downtown itself encompasses over 86 acres includes over 500,000 sq. ft. of retail space, 190,000 sq. ft. of office space, Live/Work units and Civic buildings, making prime retail locations available for the first time in this highly visible, easily accessible dynamic trade area located in the heart of the Central Illinois market. At the center of what will become the city’s “new downtown” will be a civic plaza and the new state-of-the-art Fondulac District Library that will draw in excess of 130,000 visitors a year. Less than 1/2 mile from downtown Peoria and the Peoria Civic Center, this area has seen tremendous retail growth over the past few years. A new 150,000 sq. ft. Bass Pro, opened last fall located along the Illinois River – minutes from East Peoria/Downtown.

Stark Excavating was involved with this project since 2009 when we were contracted to deliver and place over 120,000 cubic yards of structural fill to the future site of technology boulevard. Stark then continued to take part in the East Peoria Downtown Development project when we were subcontracted by R.A. Cullinan & Son, a Division of United Contractors Midwest, to perform earth excavation, underground utility installation and erection of a pump station for the Technology Boulevard and Heritage Street Extension Project. All of this laid the ground work for the rest of the East Peoria Downtown Development project. Currently, including the structural fill and Technology Boulevard project, Stark performed over $13.2 million worth of earthwork, site utilities, concrete, etc. for several areas of this downtown development project which now includes Target for City of East Peoria (underground utilities, parking lot paving and temporary facilities), East Peoria Downtown Retail Development for Cullinan Properties (earthwork, utilities, electrical, curb & gutter, asphalt and landscaping), East Peoria Civic Complex Parking Lot for City of East Peoria (utilities, curb & gutter, and concrete), Costco Misc. Site Improvements for City of East Peoria (earthwork, site utilities and fencing), and Morton Community Bank EP – Embankment for CORE Construction (embankment work).

One challenge Stark faced while working on the Target facility projects is that there was a lot of work happening in a small area, in which Stark was working on removing existing foundations and footings while installing utilities. Another challenge for Stark was the tight schedule to work with on both the East Peoria Downtown Retail Development project and the Costco Misc. Site Improvements Project. (Information above obtained from Cullinan Properties project overview publication).