It was a celebration of Historic Downtown Peoria at Tuesday evening’s City Council Meeting, with the unanimous approval to bring two new restaurant, retail and event venue developments to the area.
Caldwell County BBQ at Peoria, a signature barbecue restaurant will open their first West Valley location along Washington Street, in between 83rd Avenue and 83rd Drive.
Jefferson House will feature restaurants, a bar and retail/event space on the northwest corner of 83rdAvenue and Jefferson Street.
“Revitalizing our downtown is at the heart of the city council’s vision for growing economic development in Peoria and we are thrilled to attract these quality developments,” said Mayor Jason Beck. “These businesses will create new community gathering opportunities in the area where our city began.”
Mayor Pro Tempore Jennifer Crawford, who represents the Acacia District that includes the downtown, is excited to welcome the new businesses, “After 30 years of discussion, we are turning ideas into reality. Just like really good BBQ, it takes time to get it right and in working through the development and rental agreements with these outstanding partners, I know we got it right.”
Caldwell’s will be approximately 6,600 square feet, generally located between the Lucidi Distillery and the former downtown hotel site.
“BBQ is a passion for us, and we are excited to be working with the city of Peoria to make our style BBQ available to the wonderful people of West Valley,” said Travis Taylor, Caldwell’s Director of Operations.
Jefferson House is a partnership between the owners of The Churchill in Phoenix and the owners of the existing downtown Driftwood Coffee establishment.
“Downtown Peoria has been our beloved home for almost a decade, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to contribute to the development of this community,” said Lance Linderman, project partner and owner of Driftwood Coffee. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone at the city for their support and for making our vision a reality. Together, we are bringing new opportunities to our unique slice of Peoria, and we couldn’t be happier about it.”
The properties for both developments are city-owned and were acquired by the city as part of council’s strategic revitalization vision for the Downtown Peoria area.