By Adrian Hedden | The Republic
Peoria’s most visible business district gained two tenants this fall: A sports bar transformed into an electronic shooting range and lounge, and a shuttered beauty spa became a satellite university campus.
Altering the spaces to accommodate the private entities cost a significant amount of money, and $1.4 million came from Peoria taxpayers.
That spending — plus another $2.6 million to buy a building outright — is part of a city program launched in 2015 to revitalize and diversify the Peoria 83 entertainment district after many restaurants in the area closed during and after the Great Recession. The total investment by the city is just under $4 million so far.
