East Peoria’s Levee District began its existence when Caterpillar began to shrink.
Until the 1990s, the district had been mostly comprised of about one million square feet of Caterpillar factories and offices. When buildings were demolished and the site was cleared, the city was left with vacant brown space,” according to Rick Swan, the East Peoria Chamber of Commerce executive director.
“The city fathers, starting with (East Peoria Mayor) Jim Spinder, started looking at the area and said ‘We need to do something,’ Swan added.
Perhaps because the area had been home to an industrial complex, the city’s initial plan was to develop an industrial park there. But the East Peoria City Council saw other opportunities in the area’s central location, according to Ty Livingston, the city s director of planning and development.