Peoria council again puts off vote on 34-acre land annexation
PEORIA — The saga of Dr. J and the 34-acre annexation will extend at least another few weeks.
During its meeting Tuesday night, the council deferred for a fourth time a vote on annexing land located perpendicular to Illinois Route 91, north of The Shoppes at Grand Prairie.
Previous deferrals involved a lack of clarity about what the prospective owner of the property, Peoria physician Srinivas Jujjavarapu, planned to do with it. According to at-large Councilwoman Beth Jensen, a technicality caused a vote delay until May 13.
The council was under the impression rezoning of the land required a two-thirds majority vote, Jensen said. Earlier Tuesday, city legal staff advised Jensen only a simple majority was required if no neighbors filed a formal objection to the rezoning. None had.
But Jensen believes at least one neighbor would have objected had that two-thirds trigger been known, because it could have made annexation more difficult. That’s why she asked 5th District Councilman Casey Johnson, who represents adjacent areas of the city, for a deferral.
“I thought that was the most fair thing for the neighbors and people concerned about it,” Jensen said. “Because if they knew, they would have filed it.”
Jujjavarapu requested Peoria zoning compatible with multi-family residential development. According to the annexation agreement, such development is to take place on no fewer than 5 acres and no more than 15. The remainder would be developed commercially, and that could include hotels and motels.
After the matter was deferred last month, Johnson said Jujjavarapu and nearby residents had met regarding his vision for the property. The apparent lack of a plan was the crux of neighbors’ complaints.
The council also:
• Moved closer to creating taxing bodies that encompass hotels near The Shoppes at Grand Prairie and help fund construction of the adjacent Louisville Slugger Sports Complex.
A final vote regarding those special service areas is set for May 27. If approved, the hotel tax at Candlewood Suites, Country Inn and Suites, Hampton Inn and Suites and Wingate by Wyndham would increase from 6 to 9 percent. The sales-tax rate there would rise from 8.25 to 9.25 percent.
The higher rates also would be in effect at a Holiday Inn to be constructed in the area. Petersen Hotels owns the lodging facilities and is overseeing the sports complex, which is to have 10 bat-and-ball diamonds and an indoor dome.
The tax money is to pay for $9.6 million in city-issued bonds, part of a project budgeted at about $33.2 million. Construction is expected to begin later this year.
• Approved zoning changes that facilitate construction of baseball and softball diamonds, a running track and a soccer field at Peoria High School. Earlier this month, the city Planning and Zoning Commission gave the project its blessing.
Parts of Ellis Street and Woodruff Boulevard are to be closed to accommodate the project.
The new fields would provide on-campus facilities similar to those at the city’s other public high schools, Manual Academy and Richwoods. The project is to be completed over the next two years.
• Affirmed the Liquor Commission’s vote to allow a license, with stipulations, for a reopened tavern at 515 N. Western Ave.
Champ’s West, which closed last year, is to forgo a beer garden and won’t be allowed to remain open until 2 a.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. New owner Chris Herold had requested those options, which the Liquor Commission denied because of potential noise and loitering issues.
Nick Vlahos can be reached at 686-3285 or nvlahos@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @VlahosNick.