ROCKFORD City Council this week agreed to support what could become the first new residential development in downtown in decades with up to $4.5 million in public subsidies.
Davenport, Iowa-based Bush Construction is working with the Rockford Public Library to develop the more than $22 million, six-story building on property north of a new library expected to open in 2022 at 227 N. Wyman St.
The 146,000-square-foot, mixed-use building plans call for a riverfront restaurant, retail space, underground parking and 85 apartments.
Alderman Chad Tuneberg, a Republican who represents the 3rd Ward where the development would be built, said that kind of private investment in downtown is a historic milestone for an area that has long struggled to attract residents and businesses.