What’s being built on Prospect Road in Peoria Heights? Here's what we know

JJ Bullock, Peoria Journal Star
·2 min read
Work is in full swing behind the new Prospect Mall development in Peoria Heights.
Work is in full swing behind the new Prospect Mall development in Peoria Heights.

Baldovin Construction is in the midst of renovating the building at 4615 Prospect Road in Peoria Heights that has gone by many names, including Prospect Mall, Peoria Heights Hotel and "The Atrium."

Kim Blickenstaff's KDB Group owns the building and once promised the village it would turn it into a hotel.

That project never materialized, but work is underway to prepare the building for tenants, according to Casey Baldovin of Baldovin Construction.

More: Peoria Heights says no to KDB Group proposal on historic building

The new Prospect Mall development is under construction in the 4600 block of N. Prospect Road in Peoria Heights.
The new Prospect Mall development is under construction in the 4600 block of N. Prospect Road in Peoria Heights.

Work being done on the building includes the construction of a new courtyard, redoing the exteriors of the building, windows and preparing the interior for businesses.

Baldovin said his company should have the building ready for tenants by April.

Peoria Heights Mayor Mike Phelan said, like other KDB projects and properties, the village has been "out of the loop" when it comes to information on what's happening.

A banner hanging from the fence around the Prospect Mall development depicts what the Peoria Heights property might look like when it's completed.
A banner hanging from the fence around the Prospect Mall development depicts what the Peoria Heights property might look like when it's completed.

Phelan said KDB's ambitions to turn the property into a hotel were more than just a promise — there was a groundbreaking with Peoria-area leaders present. Still, the hotel never materialized, and the village has been in the dark since.

"I'd be very interested to know more ... we've had public-private partnerships on a lot of projects in the Heights through TIF and development district funds, but we have not been approached, so they must not be interested," Phelan said. "I don't know."

KDB Group did not return multiple Journal Star phone calls for this story.

KDB once had a significant footprint in Peoria Heights and had plans to undertake numerous projects in the village.

But when KDB abruptly put a trove of its properties up for sale in 2023, its relationship with the village soured. Communication between the village and KDB ended, and the village was left searching for answers.

Workers continue construction on the Prospect Mall development in the business district at 4615 N. Prospect Road in Peoria Heights.
Workers continue construction on the Prospect Mall development in the business district at 4615 N. Prospect Road in Peoria Heights.

More: 'Exciting changes' are planned for this former KDB building in Peoria Heights

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: What to know about the Prospect Mall project in Peoria Heights