A Publication of WTVP

Each Peoria Medical and Technology District Commission member was expected to receive the initial draft of the comprehensive master plan from our consultant, Wallace Roberts and Todd (WRT). Unfortunately, the report didn't arrive in time, and the August meeting was cancelled. Subsequently, the report has been received and reviewed by commission members, with feedback provided to WRT.

The commission decided to conduct a charrette at the Bradley University Student Center September 16. The primary purpose of the charrette was to seek ideas regarding the architectural design for the district. The October meeting will include feedback from the charrette, as well as the beginning of public discussion on the comprehensive master plan. We're behind our original timetable by one month but still on target to have a comprehensive master plan ready to be received by the Peoria City Council during the first quarter of 2005.

There was another significant meeting during the last two months to coordinate Peoria's future.
Mayor David Ransburg called a meeting of the chairs of various commissions, including Ron Budzinski, chair of the Heart of Peoria Commission; Henry Blackwell, chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals; Ray Lees, chair of the Planning Commission; David Koehler, chair of the Neighborhood Development Commission; and myself, chair of the Peoria Medical and Technology District Commission.

Mayor Ransburg outlined the purpose for the newly created commissions and the philosophy of how each interacts with existing commissions. Each chair expressed his respective commission's purpose, goals, and how coordination of processes and goals should occur. It was very clear that several of the commissions have overlapping interests.

Ron Budzinski presented a draft of "Commission Interface Matrix," outlining the roles and responsibilities of the Heart of Peoria Commission and its relationship to other commissions. How does the smart code content and application the city wants to implement affect each commission, as four commissions have authority to approve this item? What about design guidelines? Six commissions have some level of authority to approve. What linkages between commissions need to be implemented to ensure timely communication? It was very clear there are more areas that need to be discussed to assure the commissions coordinate efforts toward the same goals.
I thank the mayor for bringing the commissions together. It was exciting because everyone shared a similar vision of creating Peoria's future. Everyone wants to avoid or eliminate unnecessary impediments in the way of reaching our mutual goals. In fact, there was some discussion as to whether all the commissions would be needed in the future.

The chairs of these commissions, along with the mayor, agreed to meet regularly to ensure information is communicated appropriately and that we're all cooperating and supporting each other to reach our collective goals. Together, we're building a solid foundation for the future of the community. IBI

Search