The Warehouse District

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What now is known as the Warehouse District is in line for a much-needed infusion of capital from state, federal and local resources, about $25 million total that will be used to renovate the infrastructure in that area and add a streetscape that city officials and developers like Sullivan and Kurt Huber and unknown others – including several from out of state – believe will bring new commercial tenants at the street level and residential tenants in condos, apartments and lofts to be built on upper floors of the old buildings.

"People want this kind of urban development. This is a trend that is already taking off in other cities and has been coming here for a long time. It's just taken Peoria a little time to get where it needs to be," said Sullivan, who has been buying and renovating buildings in the Warehouse District since about 1988. That's when he and business partner John Hunt bought the structure at State and Water streets they renovated into commercial property – housing Kelleher's Irish Pub, the Waterhouse and Rizzi's On State to name a few -- and 16 condos and apartments. Their property is now called Le Vieux Carre.

"The demand has been there for a long time. But we and other developers have been stymied by the lack of infrastructure. That's what has kept us from doing more than we have to date," said Sullivan, who with his wife lives in one of the condominiums in Le Vieux Carre. "It's been frustrating, but I never once thought of giving up on getting this done. When you think about it, we are doing nothing more than what our grandfathers did, bringing in new commercial tenants and living in the apartments above it."

Sullivan is quick to credit those government leaders who have helped in recent years to piece together the elements that have drawn developers' interest. Those elements include not only the federal Tiger II grants that supporters such as U.S. Secretary of Transportation (and Peorian) Ray LaHood, U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) and U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Peoria) helped secure, the state funds State Rep. David Leitch (R-Peoria) and State Sen. David Koehler (D-Peoria) brought about. There are other elements, such as tax credits available to developers who rehabilitate old buildings for which State Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) was instrumental in securing.

There also is the monetary and legislative help being brought by the city of Peoria; help that includes adopting the Warehouse District Tax Increment Financing District that was essential to securing the federal and state money, said City Councilman Ryan Spain, who has been heading the city's involvement in the Warehouse District.

"One of the first big things I said I wanted to do when I was elected to the council (in 2007) was to get that TIF passed because I knew it was necessary if we were going to move this project forward," Spain said.

The city, Spain said, wants "to get people to remember the downtowns of the past, when it was populated by small mom-and-pop stores, and to get the downtown residential population up. It's mostly a daytime population now, but it could be much more."

Spain said he agreed with the vision of Sullivan and Hunt, that the Warehouse District could represent the lifespans of couples – young couples who rent apartments there so they are close to downtown nightlife and activities before they start having families and move to the suburbs, and empty-nest older couples who aren't ready to retire and can afford downtown condos.

"We want to create the right kind of urban environment for everybody. We think there can be something for everybody," he said.
The goal, Spain added, is to add 200 residential units each year for the next 10 years – pretty ambitious considering there are only about 200 residential units total downtown now. But he cited three studies done in the past five years, the last just this past spring, that said there will be enough demand for 2,000 such units in 10 years.

Mayor Jim Ardis said another key to the district's success will be mixed uses, including the commercial aspects of downtown. "There aren't too many communities that are going to have a Caterpillar world headquarters a matter of blocks from a residential area or the kind of medical facilities that will be within walking distance. But we will also need to get retail to move in there. I think we will because retail follows residential," he said.

One of the requirements of the federal money granted to the project is that construction begin by July next year. Sullivan, with Hunt also has renovated most of the former Sealtest building on Washington Street. He is as confident as he's ever been it will happen. "How can it miss? The infrastructure will get done, which will be the catalyst for the project. Now with the museum and Cat center and with other things already done in the downtown area in the past few years, like the Civic Center expansion and the baseball stadium, we can build on what we've got and make it really special," he said.

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