Peoria Heights has 3 business proposals for historic pump house building
There are three proposals on the table for the Peoria Heights Pump House, including pitches for a commercial kitchen, a cafe and office space.
Peoria Heights Mayor Mike Phelan said it is exciting for the village to be hearing proposals on the pump house, which is once again in village hands after a lease agreement with Kim Blickenstaff's KDB Group was terminated on the building in 2023.
The pump house had most recently been home to a popcorn and candy shop that operated for less than a year. For decades before that, it was a water pump house that sent water to the Pabst Brewery.
The Village Board will hear the proposals for the first time at its meeting Tuesday night.
Here are the three proposals:
Bradley University proposes an industrial kitchen space
Bradley University's Turner Center for Entrepreneurship would like to use the pump house as the base for a shared industrial kitchen that could foster food entrepreneurs from the Peoria area.
Bradley would partner with Connie Randall, who owned local catering company A Matter of Taste until its closure in January, to run the project. Randall operated her catering company for over 40 years. Her role would be to mentor and support the entrepreneurs in the space.
More: 'Exciting changes' are planned for this former KDB building in Peoria Heights
The proposal from Bradley says this location would help take down barriers that stand in the way of local food entrepreneurs and will help them formulate a business plan while not putting them into situations where they must take on "excessive loss or debt."
Online ordering and pickup of food would be key to the pump house location, and Bradley hopes to also partner with local business owner Sudheer Sajja, who owns the online food ordering business BistroStack.
However, the proposal also says that the pump house's location near Tower Park would allow for outdoor events to be held, as well, in tandem with the shared kitchen.
Local restaurant owners propose Tower Park Cafe
Local business owners Joshua Lanning, a chef and co-owner of Slow Hand BBQ, and Rob Mathisen, who also owns Slow Hand and Pour Bros. Craft Taproom in Peoria Heights, would like to convert the pump house into a cafe called "Tower Park Cafe."
Their proposal says the cafe would be "warm and welcoming of family and fun while offering culinary arts, wine education, fresh whole foods and unforgettable connections."
More: 'The missing piece': Renowned Peoria chef now co-owner of popular barbecue restaurant
By day, the proposal says the cafe would be a blend of indoor and outdoor dining, highlighted by the "beautiful park setting." It would offer grab and go items as well as sandwiches and salads and eventually pizza.
At night, the proposal calls for the cafe to transform into an outdoor, live fire cooking attraction.
Small batch wines would be served as well.
A small retail store would also be part of this development, which include a gelato bar, whole roasted rotisserie chickens and eventually a selections of sauces, dips, pasta and other homemade items.
In a longer term view of the development, they would also hope to turn the property's large water storage tank into a small batch meadery called Red Tower Meadery.
They would also hope to paint a mural on the tank that highlights the nature of the surrounding area.
Lanning also aims to partner with Illinois Central College and the Peoria Heights School District to use the location for culinary education.
Joseph Investment Advisors hopes for new office spaces
The final proposal for the pump house would be for Joseph Investment Advisors to convert the building into office spaces, Phelan said.
More: Abandoned and for sale: What we know about 13 properties connected to Kim Blickenstaff
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Three business proposals for Peoria Heights pump house space
