"Green Conference" in Aurora October 2, 2008
http://www.greentownconference.com/
Bringing people back into the central city revitalizes the City. And providing more people an opportunity to view and enjoy the lake is a great positive.
Grand View Drive provides a beautiful view of the lake and park. The plan for Grand View Drive is the same as that proposed for the area between downtown and War Memorial Drive - Lake, Park, scenic drive, and housing.
The biggest natural amenity for Peoria is the beautiful river, lake, wooded bluffs and ravines. But there are few places in the Heart of Peoria to view the lake. This plan would create a beautiful drive overlooking the river and lake for all the people to enjoy.
Q . The islands will wash away
Good engineers can certainly construct an island that will not erode. And good environmentalists can properly design and seed the islands and wetlands to promote biodiversity and improve habitat.
Q. You should not use sediment to create the islands - takes up flood plain.
Any action must be approved by the Corps of Engineers and IDNR and our own excellent Public Works and Planning staff. The tiny islands (7 acres) would be placed in the over 2,500 acre lower lake, creating a minimal impact. But if this is a concern, material from the estuary across the river could be used. This material is already above the normal water level, so moving it across the river would have no impact.
Q. No one will build nice homes next to a railroad track and public housing.
If you are correct, the development will not happen.
Q. No one wants to live in the old part of the City anymore. Too much crime and deterioration.
If all developers agree with you, then you have nothing to fear - the development will not happen.
Q. This is a pipe dream, and will never happen. The City is always changing its plans.
I hope you are incorrect. Time will tell. In any event, it will take a very long time to develop the entire Green edge. But if it is developed, Peoria will have a great River park running all the way from War Memorial Drive south to downtown, with a beautiful scenic drive connecting downtown to Grand View Drive.
Q. What happens next?
We will present the proposal to the Planning Commission at 1:30 pm on Wed Feb 20, 2008 at City Hall on the floor. You are welcome to attend and voice your concerns. It then proceeds to the City Council. If they turn it down, then we drop it and move on to other efforts. If they approve it, we would issue an RFP (Request for Proposal), and look for a quality developer. We would ask the Corps to design and construct the islands.
Please send any more questions or comments to Craighullinger@gmail.com, and I will respond. Thank you for your consideration.
Email and drawings from our Environmental Engineering Consultant on the proposed islands developed and refined as a result of our meetings with environmental and neighborhood groups.
Attached are the islands perspective that Paul and I put together for you. In the drawing, you will find an overview of the two islands with an enhanced existing shoreline; a vignette of a close-up view of the area between the two islands; and finally a colored plan view of the island component of the project.
I know you would like to swap the wildlife island and the recreation island. But after consulting with our landscape architect, we feel that the original concept should stay for both practical and various design reasons. Placement of the access ramp is best at the current proposed location. There may not be enough room to do so at the lower island because the bluff narrows down in that area.
Also, we'd like to place the overlook tower to be aligned with Norton Street. Streets leading to the lower island are blocked by the PMP buildings. In addition, there needs to be a short separation between the Riverplex and the recreation island from a design standpoint. It is only a short walk between the two focal points; plus people will be able to enjoy the view of the river scenery and wildlife on their way to the recreation island.
Let me know if you need any changes to the drawing.
Jack T.P. Chan, Ph.D., P.E. Water Resources Engineer LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT GROUP 525 East North Street, Suite F Bradley, IL 60915 Email: jchan@lrmg.net Phone: 815.928.8990 x228 Fax: 815.928.8606