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 approach will aim to be resilient to flooding: "We can't restrict the flow, and we know those rules that we're gonna have to work with," and the design would allow water to pass while restoring park uses.

Why this matters: the project would add a larger outdoor performance venue to downtown Peoria, increase programming capacity on the riverfront, and bring private capital to a multi-year riverfront implementation effort. Council members and staff said the gift could help close funding gaps in the adopted plan and spur additional downtown activity.

Key terms and site details discussed at the meeting include: - Donation amount: $11,000,000 from the Hanks Foundation. The foundation has asked for naming rights for the amphitheater (to honor Dee Hanks) and has proposed a small per-ticket fee on ticketed events that would support the foundation's scholarship mission. - Capacity and infrastructure: The preliminary concept discussed capacity up to about 5,000 people with removable seating because permanent seating would be vulnerable to regular flooding. Project partners mentioned Core Construction as the foundation's preferred contractor and Epstein Global Architects for architectural work. - Floodplain and resiliency: Project designers and staff emphasized that the riverfront floods periodically and that the facility will be designed to allow water to flow through the site rather than rely on flood insurance for fixed seating or structures. - Operations and maintenance: City staff said they anticipate the Peoria Park District would continue to handle operations and maintenance of the riverfront and would coordinate event operations with the city. - Confidentiality and public records: The city's corporation counsel explained the letter includes confidentiality provisions for certain proprietary materials the foundation may provide and that the city remains subject to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and the Local Records Act; disputes about disclosure could be referred to the Public Access Counselor.

Public comment and neighborhood concerns: Kathy McNeil, representing Friends of Riverfront Park, asked the council to ensure the amphitheater location is south of the Riverplex and does not disrupt the green space known as Riverfront Park. City staff provided a map and said the proposed footprint would be south of the Riverplex.

Timeline and next steps: City staff said they expect to return to the council with a more detailed, binding donation agreement within a few months and hoped to complete that work before the end of the year. Council members emphasized they view the letter of intent as a first step and that detailed terms will be negotiated in the donation agreement.

Council action: Council member Aaron Cyr moved to accept and approve the letter of intent; Council member Valpula seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The project remains in planning: the letter of intent is nonbinding on most terms, and the city will negotiate a donation agreement and design documents before any construction or long-term commitments are executed. City staff and the foundation will further define site layout, staging, power and utility needs, and event-management arrangements in subsequent agreements.