City officials seek input on Route 8 corridor

Glancing at the table of potential plans for the Illinois Route 8 commercial corridor through Sunnyland, Cindy Miller said she was pleased with what was in front of her.

“I am so happy about the sidewalks and the prospect that they will go all the way to East Peoria,” said Miller, of Sunnyland, during an open house at Countryside Banquet Facility. “If my little boy wants to ride his bike, he can.”

Officials of East Peoria and Washington hosted the Thursday event in order to gather public input regarding the future of Route 8 and Sunnyland Plaza.

A steady flow of people walked through the facility and glanced at plans on display, which included road improvements and a beautification plan with a streetscape design, gateways and signage.

The corridor spans from School Street in Washington to the East Peoria Event Center.

Naperville consulting firm Housel Lavigne gathered input from residents and business owners through a recent survey and came up with ideas to improve the corridor. Representatives from the firm were on hand to answer questions.

John Poloney, co-owner of B&J U-Store in Sunnyland Plaza, said he was concerned about the increase of traffic, which would result after the renovations.

“If they improve this area, there’s going to be a lot more traffic,” he said. “They need to keep in mind just how that traffic flows.”

Poloney added Route 8 and School Street have high accident rates, a factor he views as a major concern in the planning.

“It’s going to be interesting,” he said. “I’m glad they had this.”

Ty Livingston, planning and community development director of East Peoria, said the event was a “great opportunity to get community input and feedback.”

“The survey is really what drove what you see here,” he said.

Livingston said they will probably host a similar event before a final plan is drafted.

“We don’t want to be doing any plan that does not have the consensus of the residents,” said Jon Oliphant, Washington’s city planner. “We don’t want there to be any surprises.”

Oliphant said a final plan should be drafted and be up for adoption in June.

“We’re a little behind at this point, but that’s normal.”

Road work is already in progress on Route 8 in East Peoria.

And the work to widen the road in Washington from two to five lanes should start within the next couple years, depending on the approval of capital funding.

Miller, who also runs the Facebook page “I Grew Up in Sunnyland” said sometimes, “Sunnyland gets the bottom of the barrel.

“I’m glad that’s changing,” Miller said.

Miller added she wants to see a grocery store go up in Sunnyland Plaza and possibly something for the area’s youth.

“With the age of Wal-Mart, I’m unsure if a grocery store could survive there,” Miller said.

Several recurring themes resulted from the survey, which included 264 resident responses and 10 business responses:

• Vacancies: The study showed concerns for a lack of businesses and specific desires for a grocery store, drug store and Aldi’s.

• Appearance: Comments included description of blight, a ghost-town appearance, a lack of pride and property maintenance, lack of code enforcement and an overall assertion that Route 8 looks “run down.”

• Sunnyland Plaza: As an area landmark, Sunnyland Plaza was mentioned by name more than any other property. Residents called for redevelopment, tenant mix, specific uses, improve appearance and parking improvements.

• Lack of connection: Route 8 is not part of an overall network of roads and has no direct access to Interstate 74. Respondents remarked on the lack of transportation to downtown Washington and the inability to walk to services and shopping.

• Sunnyland as an afterthought: A fair number of residents feel disconnected from East Peoria and Washington. They feel that they are not given their due, feel political disassociation and that they belong to neither city.

• Children/youth: Special attention was given to the lack of activities for children and that they were not able to walk places.

• Traffic and safety: Travelling through Route 8 was described as difficult, particularly when making left-hand turns and gaining access from side streets.