Med Tech District
I’m not the only one who noticed the Med Tech seems to be going nowhere. Well, they did propose a name change to Renaissance Park. Renaissance Park? Renaissance from blight? Why do I want to be reminded of that? I personally like the name Med-Tech. The Medical Technology District. That’s a place I would like to be.
Drive down Main Street. What do you see? Walgreens is closed. The Payday Loan shop has changed their name again. The AAMCO lot is still empty. Aaron Schock put a table and chairs in a window front. There’s a new headshop. Steak & Shake is an empty lot. They’re tearing down the old apartments at the top of the bluff (not sure why).
I know these things take time, but…
In the meantime, while we’re waiting for someone to do something, we can always admire those pretty flowers.
October 21st, 2005 at 10:58 am
Yeah, it takes time. But it’s not like there isn’t stuff happening.
1. Major new development coming into the area of the apartments and Steak & Shake…scuttlebut says its medical.
2. The Walgreens location (which was crappy, in my opinion) is supposedly slated to become nice retail space on the bottom and student condos above.
3. The new incubator (former Amco site) breaks ground soon. Architects are finalizing the plans.
4. One World is going to expand and take over the whole building.
5. Columbia Terrace will be getting a nice face-lift in the next year or so.
6. Heard yesterday that the blight that’s the Gas Light bar has been purchased and may become a nice pub (like Sullivan’s downtown).
So buck up, camper. Good stuff’s on the way. I work on Main Street (not with Schock). I can’t wait to see this area improve, either. Will be nice to walk to lunch on Main without getting hit up (or held up) for cash from vagrants.
October 27th, 2005 at 8:24 am
The Med Tech and the Heart of Peoria commission need to find an improved means of communication. They seem to be operating in a bubble and we can’t depend on the the Journal Star to keep the public abrest.
Perhaps they should each take one of their number to form a blog or some webspace to communicate what they are doing and talking about. The City of Peoria website is painfully inadequate.