Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Peoria Innovation Corps topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Peoria planning staff outline master plan for 7,280‑acre 'Peoria Innovation Corps' and public engagement timeline
Summary
Planning director presented a master‑planning and entitlement update for the Peoria Innovation Corps, a roughly 7,280‑acre state‑land area intended for mixed employment, commercial and residential uses divided into three cores. Staff plans a project website, virtual info session and to file a rezoning application in December with public hearings in early 2026.
City planning staff gave a study session update on the Peoria Innovation Corps (PIC) on Nov. 18, describing land‑use planning, constraints and an outreach schedule for entitling roughly 7,280 acres of state land inside Peoria.
"This is roughly 7,280 acres," Planning Director Chris Hockas said as he explained that the PIC covers state land east of the Agua Fria River and north of Pleasant Valley. The master plan effort follows a previously approved intergovernmental agreement with the State Land Department that set a reimbursement mechanism for public infrastructure and designated the city as lead for land planning.
Hockas described a "flexible zoning bank" approach that would create development options for parcels so auctioned land can respond to market demand. He divided the project into three cores: Core 1 (roughly 1,900 acres) south of Loop 303 with residential transition areas and some sensitive slopes; Core 2 (about 845 acres), city‑owned property where Amcor is expected to locate and where deed restrictions limit residential uses in parts; and Core 3 (about 4,500 acres) north of the CAP canal with both constrained and flat areas that could be suited for employment or industrial uses.
Staff said roughly one‑third of the PIC is not developable because of floodways, utility corridors and slopes; those areas could become open space, trail corridors or buffers. Technical studies already underway include water/wastewater analysis, traffic impact, power demand and a trails master plan. Hockas said staff expects the project website and a recorded virtual information session to be available prior to Thanksgiving and that a formal zoning/PCD application would be filed in December, followed by Planning & Zoning hearings in February–March and return to council for consideration in mid‑March.
Council members asked staff to make explicit linkages to regional projects (including planned SR‑74 improvements) and emphasized preserving meaningful, purpose‑driven open space and a housing mix that fits existing neighborhoods. Staff said they would incorporate those requests in the public‑facing materials and the draft regulations.
Next steps include the project website, a virtual information session, an in‑person community meeting in mid‑January and a Planning & Zoning study session the week after; staff recommended council review in mid‑March.
