Peoria buys acreage to add hundreds of parking spots in Warehouse District

PEORIA — The city of Peoria has purchased three blocks of vacant land in the Warehouse District to be used for future parking.

"The city has been hearing from developers in the Warehouse District that parking for residents and business patrons is needed," City Manager Patrick Urich said on Friday. "The acquisition of the land behind the 800-1000 block of Washington will allow the city to put in more than 300 parking spaces and address the parking needs."

The land is about 3.75 acres. The city paid about $1.7 million, according to records from the Peoria County Clerk's Office.

Last fall, the Peoria City Council voted to allocate just over $5 million to purchase the land and build the parking lot that will sit behind several buildings on the east side of the 800 to 1000 blocks of Southwest Washington Street and west of the railroad track.

Pat Sullivan, who owned the land, said he sold the property to the city at fair market value, and he believes it will help spur development within the Warehouse District.

"Let the city do it, and then they can get more taxes coming in from people who are living here," he said. "There are shops that could be on the first floors of some of the buildings, and that's more."

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At-Large City Councilman Zach Oyler, who serves on the Downtown Development Corporation, said this will cause a significant expansion within the Warehouse District.

"The city's ability to convert this land into parking will allow at least five buildings which have mixed use of commercial and residential to come online," he said.

Sullivan said he wants to keep the Warehouse District going forward as the additional parking will encourage more development.

"For the city, it's been one of the bright spots as there have been a lot of permits taken out," Sullivan said. "They aren't tearing down buildings. It's like a new subdivision but they don't have to go into a cornfield and tear out the corn."

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Last fall, Urich said once the city had purchased the land, it expected the project to be completed within 18 months. While Sullivan thinks the 300 parking spots are a first step, they might not be enough given the activity going on in the area.

But, he said, it's a big step.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria buys about 4 acres for parking spots in Warehouse District