Work on the Peoria riverfront project will be done in stages and take at least two construction seasons to complete.

A $26 million makeover is planned for the Peoria riverfront.

The Peoria City Council unanimously approved the project Aug. 8, two weeks after learning all the details about it and five years after planning began. The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission gave its blessing to the project Aug. 3.

The city is supposed to receive $15 million in state funds to help pay for the project. Now that the project has been given the green light by the City Council, state Rep. Jehan Gordon, D-Peoria, will begin the process of getting the state to release the funds.

City officials said private funding and possibly federal money will be needed to cover the remainder of the cost of the project.

Work on the project will be done in stages and take at least two construction seasons to complete.

Here are the details of the project, which will take place between the Bob Michel and Murray Baker bridges.

Near the Bob Michel Bridge on the south end of the riverfront will be a dog park, sports courts, an adult fitness area, kayak launch and barge park.

To the north, a festival grounds with a bandshell and two stages will be built just north of the Murray Baker Bridge.

Near the bridge and Gateway Building, clock tower square will be renovated and have a new fountain, plus there will be an art sound garden and interactive water feature.

Near the River Station building in the middle of Riverfront Park will be an expanded boat marina, “great lawn,” swing park, a “river’s edge” area and a proposed spot for a new riverboat. The Spirit of Peoria riverboat left the city in 2021.

One of the Peoria area’s business leaders applauded the riverfront project.

Chris Setti, CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, called the riverfront the “playground” not just for Peoria, but the entire Peoria region.

“Nobody in our part of the state can recreate the Peoria riverfront. Not Bloomington-Normal, not Springfield, not Champaign-Urbana,” he said. “We need to take of advantage of that.”

Besides being a boon to the quality of life in the Peoria region, Setti said the riverfront can play a crucial role in the region’s economic health.

“It’s very important that we attract businesses to come to our region, and for companies already here to attract and retain employees,” he said. “People and companies will invest in a place that invests in itself.”

Adam White owns the RC Outfitters store in a historic building at 311 SW Water St., that faces the riverfront. White is one of Peoria’s biggest boosters, but he also isn’t afraid to point out problems in hopes of coming up with solutions.

“The riverfront is literally my front yard. Do I want it to be beautiful? Of course. But I want it to be beautiful today and tomorrow,” he said. “That’s why I have mixed feelings about the project, and I would say I’m cautiously optimistic.

“Conceptually, almost everything about the plans is nice. But I have concerns because a number of issues aren’t properly addressed.”

White said his two biggest concerns are not enough transparency about how flooding issues at the riverfront will be mitigated and how the city proposes to pay for the maintenance of the new riverfront features.

“To tell the public that there’s a plan to deal with flooding issues but not have enough specifics about said plan is concerning,” White said.

Representatives from Terra Engineering, the firm that designed the riverfront project, told the City Council that the riverfront will be more “resilient” to flooding because of a removable flood wall and a floating breakwater and wave attenuation wall, and landscaping and pavement that will withstand floodwaters.

“What about the maintenance of all the new features?” White said. “What will be the cost? What’s the plan? There were previous riverfront maintenance issues with a much lesser investment than what is planned.”