Hanks Foundation offers $11 million for Peoria riverfront amphitheater; council approves letter of intent

Peoria City Council voted unanimously Sept. 9 to accept a nonbinding letter of intent from the Hanks Foundation for an $11,000,000 restricted donation to build an amphitheater on the riverfront at Festival Park, city officials said. The council approved the letter of intent after a presentation from city staff, representatives of the Hanks Foundation and Terra Engineering, and brief public comment.

The donation would finance construction of an amphitheater sited south of the Riverplex and generally between the Murray Baker Bridge and the Riverplex, the City Manager said during the meeting. "We have been in discussions with the Hanks Foundation about a restricted donation that they would provide to the city of Peoria in the amount of $11,000,000," the City Manager said.

The amphitheater concept aligns with the riverfront master plan adopted in 2023 and would use a mix of removable seating and lawn areas because the site lies in a floodplain, city staff and the project designers said. Terra Engineering senior landscape architect Kevin Graham said the design…