It's been a long and hard fought battle but the downtown hotel project has finally received the green light from the city of Peoria.  On May 25th the Peoria City Council 'Stepped Up' and voted 7-4 to invest $37 million in the project. 

This is a $102 million dollar project to build a 10-story Marriott Courtyard connected to the Hotel Pere Marquette in downtown Peoria with a slated opening of 2013.  Developer Gary Matthews is awaiting approval from the Illinois Finance Authority. 

I applaud this decision by the city council and I support this project for many reasons.  Construction is expected to begin soon which means much needed jobs for our local workers.  This project has tremendous potential to attract more commercial retail development downtown, not to mention it will give our downtown a whole new look.  The skywalk enclosure to the Peoria Civic Center will be an attractive amenity for conventions, conferences and events.  Plus we will now have more hotel rooms available which will appeal to event planners.   

This project coupled with the many other developments in this region (Riverfront Museum, Bass Pro Shops, and East Peoria 2010 to name just a few) are integral components for regional growth.  We must continue moving this region forward and this project is a key step for us!