Quincy City Council unanimously approves River Edge Redevelopment Zone

QUINCY — The Quincy City Council approved an ordinance to create and establish boundaries for a River Edge Redevelopment Zone (RERZ) at their meeting Tuesday night, moving riverfront properties one step closer to restoration.

The program incentivizes local developers with various tax credits, tax exemptions and tax abatements, such as new construction jobs credits and building materials sales tax exemption, to “revive and redevelop environmentally challenged properties adjacent to rivers in Illinois.” 

City Planning Director Chuck Bevelheimer summarized the benefits of becoming a RERZ member in a memo to the Finance Committee last month:

• encourages the preservation of historic buildings through reuse and renovation;
• increases the value of rehabilitated properties;
• returns underutilized structures to the tax rolls;
• revitalizes downtowns and neighborhoods;
• and increases the amount of available housing within the community.

The committee approved Quincy’s application to become a RERZ member last month, which the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is given 180 days to consider. The proposed zone would be roughly from Harrison to Locus, from the riverfront to roughly Ninth Street. Community Development Planner Jason Parrott said the area can’t be more than 4,500 feet from the river.

The program was initially limited to Aurora, East St. Louis, Elgin, Peoria and Rockford, but it was expanded to include Moline, East Moline, Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru, Rock Island and Quincy by Governor JB Pritzker over the summer. 

Tuesday night’s meeting also saw the swearing-in of Arenzville native Blake Barrett with the Quincy Fire Department by Deputy Fire Chief Michael Dade. Barrett served in the Beardstown Fire Department after becoming a certified firefighter in 2021.

“I’d like to thank the city of Quincy for this opportunity to expand my career,” Barrett said. 

Barrett’s parents, girlfriend and five-month-old son were in attendance.

In other business, the council:

• Approved a resolution authorizing Quincy Township to increase the grant amount for a household of one to $450 and increasing by $75 for each additional member of the household.
• Granted a petition by the Great River Corvette Club and Muddy River Riders groups to hold the Salvation Army “Angel Tree Parade” on Dec. 7.
• Approved resolutions to sign another set of one-year memorandums of understanding with Kathy Entrup and Kettisha Hodges, DBA at Optimal Change, to provide mental health services to police officers and first responders; the memorandum with Hodges also provides mental health services to community members during mental health calls for service or traumatic events.
• Approved a resolution authorizing payment to Crawford, Murphy, Tilly, Inc. for services performed and due for design work to construct a new T-hanger & sitework in the total amount of $86,933.37, as well as approved their proposal in the amount of $157,000 for engineering design services, which includes improvements to the Whipple Creek box sewer.
• Approved a resolution authorizing an invoice of $25,000 from Tournear Roofing Company of Quincy for emergency replacement of the Sludge Press Building roof at the Waste Water Treatment Plant that was torn off during the October 30, 2024, severe thunderstorm.
• Approved a resolution authorizing a quote in the amount of $8,286 from Midwest Meter, Inc. of Edinburg, IL for purchase of one hundred copperhorns for the installation of residential waters meters.
• Approved a resolution authorizing an invoice of f $10,482.58 from Ameren Illinois for electrical service upgrade at the Water Treatment Plant pump station.
• Approved a resolution authorizing an invoice of $12,200 from Core and Main of St. Louis, MO, for a line stop at north 30th Street between Wisman Lane and Kochs Lane.
• Approved a resolution for pension funding for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2025 and ending April 30, 2026 at or above the Lauterbach and Amen 100% ARC for the Fire Pension at $5,128,804 and for the Police Pension at $4,809,549.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the quote from Adams Experts in an amount not to exceed $9,713.33 for network cabling services.