By Philip Haldiman
Twitter: @PhilipHaldiman

Peoria City Council approved a 332-unit, gated, single-story, multi-family housing community adjacent to Pioneer Park. [Submitted map]

A 30-acre property in south Peoria that has remained vacant for a number of years is on track to receive life, with a downzone from commercial to residential.

The Peoria City Council approved a new 332-unit, gated, single-story, multi-family housing community adjacent to Pioneer Park at the southwest corner of 83rd and Olive avenues.

The project is dubbed Villages at Pioneer Park.

The Peoria City Council approved the proposal to amend the general plan from community commercial to medium high density residential, and the proposal to rezone the property from Olive Crossroads Planned Area Development, a designation allowing commercial, to Villages at Pioneer Park Planned Area, which would allow for residential use only.

The property has seen multiple attempts at development over the years — this is its fourth zoning change since 1981. The Peoria Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the new housing community to council, Sept. 19.

Land use attorney Brian Greathouse, who represents owner Empire Group, said at that meeting the property came close to groundbreaking on a 107,000-square-foot Fry’s Marketplace and gas station in 2017, but the grocer backed out after the property was rezoned.

Since then, Empire Group has worked with a broker to market the property to a number of commercial prospects with no success.

With the change to residential, there was no opposition to the project, while there had been neighborhood opposition to the last commercial case.

The new approval will now allow for the property to have a density of about 12 dwelling units per acre.

Amenities will include a clubhouse, gym, pool, dog park, several garden plots and green spaces for lawn games.

The project will feature 150 square feet of open space per bedroom, plus 200 square feet of private yard space per unit.

Villages at Pioneer Park follows an agrarian theme using an agrarian materials palate, picket fences, rustic materials and color palette. It will have wagon-wheeled elements which echo the wagon wheels in Pioneer Park.

“The attempt here was to integrate the community around an agrarian or semi-rural theme, which attempts to evoke the history of farming in the area and also try to tie in with Pioneer Park,” Planning and Community Development Director Chris Jacques said. “So we are hoping this treatment will provide some distinction at this important corner in Peoria.”

Councilwoman Vicki Hunt, who represents the area, said this property has been in development for more two years.

“I was a little hard to please, but this is it. This is permanent and I wanted it to be right and it’s wonderful. I can’t wait until groundbreaking,” she said. “I think it’s going to be time well spent when we see this project come out of the ground.”

Philip Haldiman can be reached at 623-876-3697, phaldiman@newszap.com, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.