East Peoria/Downtown 2010

Where Community, Commerce and Technology Come Together

East Peoria/Downtown 2010 is a vision that creates a vibrant new mixed-use center for East Peoria, incorporating many of 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.

Community will be preeminent as this new downtown becomes the centerpiece of the revitalized core of the city. This setting will be designed for pedestrians with many activities of daily life occurring within walking distance. The New Urbanism design will integrate the preferred uses the City envisions for this development with lifestyle requirements to create a strong relationship between the community and surrounding architecture. Since no single use can possibly fulfill the multi-faceted plans the city has, many strategic uses will be integrated to create unique and vibrant places within the development's boundaries. The architecture and landscape design will create the physical definition of streets and public spaces as places of shared use. The design of streets and buildings will reinforce safe environments while providing for accessibility and openness. Automobiles will be accommodated in ways that respect the pedestrian and the form of public spaces. Buildings and public gathering places will be sited appropriately to reinforce community identity.

Commerce has and will continue to be the centerpiece of East Peoria's vitality and will be appropriately recognized. The inclusion of additional multi-tenant office buildings around the development will accommodate professionals, many with a technology orientation, additional support staff and other complementary commerce and retail that tend to mass around thriving mixed-use. When the office environment is complemented with new restaurants, specialty shops, personal services (doctors, dentists, etc.) and other small service businesses, commerce becomes a multi-faceted community that brings the downtown to life during the normal workweek as well as on the weekends. We project these first buildings to be substantially complete and occupied by 2010, providing the reason for the year reference in the new name. Special events on the Public Green after hours creates a spillover effect that keeps area workers on site later into the evening eating dinner, attending events and enjoying the atmosphere of downtown.

Technology - Today's technology companies desire a dynamic location, surrounded by complementary companies in easy access, high growth areas. They compete at the cutting edge and their demand for competent, highly-trained employees is paramount as their knowledge based workforce grows. Keeping their employees highly productive requires relaxed, employee centric facilities, an informal campus environment and close proximity to the specialty shops and meeting spaces where like minded professionals congregate. Green spaces, walking and biking paths, sidewalk tables and small informal gathering spots will contribute to the campus atmosphere and technology friendly draw of downtown.