Vistancia residents tell Peoria council Amcor plant 'doesn't belong in our neighborhood'

Several residents living near Vistancia, Trilogy and Blackstone used the Feb. 11 call to the public to urge the Peoria City Council to reconsider siting a proposed Amcor packaging facility adjacent to those planned residential communities.

Norman Reed said he was told at a community meeting that the facility would be a single‑story building not to exceed 54 feet and would employ about 2,000 workers at the end of phase two. Reed said the current plans he has seen appear to have grown to a more than 2,000,000‑square‑foot facility, which he described as “equivalent in height to a 10‑story building,” and warned that the scale change would increase traffic, noise and neighborhood impacts.

Alan Rideau said residents felt they had been informed too late about the industrial proposal and described the change in scale — from the early materials to the larger forms now under discussion — as a “secret” that prevented timely community input.

Sue Strecker said the community needs specific information on water usage, treated discharge and air emissions. She said Amcor previously said a 500,000‑square‑foot facility would use about 1,000,000 gallons a day, and asked how water demands scale with current designs, what chemicals would be in discharges, and whether the city’s water‑quality staff could respond to those questions. Strecker also requested traffic designs and site plans so neighbors can evaluate access and queuing impacts.

Speakers said construction will involve a large workforce for multi‑year buildout and that unions and construction employment alone would not justify siting the facility adjacent to planned residential neighborhoods. Several asked the council to request relocation of the proposed facility to a more industrial site.

Council did not take formal action in response to the comments during the meeting; staff noted they would be available after the meeting to answer follow‑up questions.