Peoria approves two cannabis dispensaries, MacArthur Corridor revitalization plan unanimously
PEORIA, ARIZONA — December 10, 2019

Peoria approves two cannabis dispensaries, MacArthur Corridor revitalization plan unanimously

City council approved two cannabis dispensaries amid neighborhood opposition and advanced major South Side revitalization plan, while addressing workforce diversity concerns and encountering complications with towing operator regulations.

Council Approves Two Cannabis Dispensaries While Advancing South Side Revitalization and Confronting Workforce Diversity Stagnation

Peoria City Council on December 10, 2019, voted to approve two adult-use cannabis dispensaries—one contested by neighborhood opposition—and unanimously endorsed a sweeping South Village MacArthur Corridor Implementation Plan, even as staff presented sobering data showing the city's minority workforce representation has flatlined over a decade and actual diversity dropped to 20 percent from 21 percent in 2009.

The meeting revealed deep tensions between the city's stated commitment to equity and the granular challenges of execution: cannabis siting triggered passionate neighborhood testimony over school proximity; a workforce presentation exposed the administrative difficulty of tracking diversity across changing job classifications; and a towing ordinance revision exposed the council's risk of regulating without consulting the regulated.

Cannabis Dispensary at 2301 West Glen Avenue

The request for a special use permit to operate an adult-use cannabis dispensary at 2301 West Glen Avenue in a Class C1 general commercial district anchored the evening's most dramatic debate. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval unanimously, 7-0, and city staff supported the application. Yet Councilmember Montelongo moved to deny, framing the vote as fundamentally about location despite the state allowing the use.

Councilmember Sear reframed the decision:

"I would like to remind the council that this is not a vote about whether or not we should allow adult use cannabis sales in the City of Peoria that ship sailed last month this is a zoning issue should we approve a special use in the c1 commercial area in this location as an adult use cannabis dispensary that's the item before us." — Councilmember Sear noted he had spoken personally with Virginia White, president of the Rolling Acres Neighborhood Association, who was supportive, and with Dan Cory, owner of the adjacent Lariat Club (nearly 50 years at that location), who also encouraged approval.

Opposition

Four public speakers testified against the proposal, led by Angela Burr, president of the Westwood Neighborhood Association:

  1. Proximity to schools: Burr emphasized the dispensary would be "less than 1/10 of a mile away from our northern boundary which is Glen Avenue" and "located very close to Concordia Lutheran grade school rolling acres grade school the Christian Center and the Teen Center."
  2. Cannabis as gateway drug: As a 34-year teacher, Burr stated: "myself being a 34-year teacher we stand up there every day telling kids not to do drugs and what harm it's going to do to them and then here our city is gonna play something like this three blocks away from Concordia grade school."
  3. Traffic congestion: Speakers noted the intersection of Sterling, Glen, and War Memorial already backed up during rush hour; one noted traffic between 5:00–6:00 p.m. was "backed up all the way almost to the prompt care entrance it's terrible."
  4. Foot traffic and crime: Burr warned that "we've had security issues in our neighborhood with the Northwood small area pouring over into our neighborhood" and that the dispensary's anticipated cash-only business model would invite theft, with criminals able to escape through residential neighborhoods' dead-end streets.
  5. Insufficient site search: One commenter questioned whether the city had "approved the existing location that's already a dispensary in on University with the Trinity company" first, implying the developer had not exhausted alternatives and asking: "do we know that Peoria can really substantiate two of these businesses."

A third speaker, whose garage had been broken into while open just 15 minutes on a Saturday, testified:

"A foot traffic person stole my car they had stolen a car 20 minutes before on Ronald I believe close to north more from the garage their car was stolen this is important we don't need other foot traffic in the area." — Unidentified speaker

Montelongo reinforced opposition, stating:

"for the council people who haven't visited that location you should be having a chance to think about this before you vote the closest house is less than 75 feet from that location I would just ask you how would you be voting if this was going to be that close to your house I know we were trying to keep this as far away from the neighborhood's and that is right inside the neighborhood there's a more appropriate location for that." — Councilmember Montelongo

Vote and Outcome

The motion to deny failed 3-7-1 (yes: John Kelly, Montelongo, Oiler; no: Ardis, Alley, Sear, Grab, Moore, Timothy Riggenbach, Reck Regal; abstain: Jensen due to conflict—her husband's clients own the building).

A subsequent motion to approve, made by Councilmember Reck Regal and seconded by Timothy Riggenbach, then passed 7-3-1 with the same three voting no and Jensen abstaining.

Cannabis Dispensary at 3125 North University Avenue

The second dispensary request, at 3125 North University in a Class C2 large-scale commercial district, drew no public opposition. Councilmember Jensen immediately flagged a conflict of interest and abstained from both the consent-agenda vote and a later reconsideration she initiated. The item passed unanimously with one abstention (Jensen). Council did not record individual vote breakdowns for this item.

South Village MacArthur Corridor Implementation Plan

The evening's most celebratory action was the unanimous approval of a resolution adopting the South Village Implementation Plan—a comprehensive vision for revitalizing the MacArthur Corridor on Peoria's south side. The plan includes a community air market with grocery store, workforce training center, health and wellness center, South Village Plaza, and Western Avenue Complete Streets renovation ($11–12 million, slated to begin next year). The proposal is not a city commitment to build but a "shovel-ready" framework to attract federal and state grants and private investment.

Councilmember Moore delivered an extended, passionate argument for the plan's necessity:

"if you're paying attention to the news today you saw that the armory a private investor is coming in and is going to take over the Armory in the North Valley that's private money if you've been watching you know that next week we're going to hear the Ronald McDonald House is opening beautiful facility that's private money if you're paying attention you saw that this the Scottish Rite temple is Rhian visioning what can happen there that's private money...now all of that set has been private money none of that is happening on the south side no one is bringing private money to the south side so this plan allows us to stay to the state and federal government we need help down here because the private money is not coming." — Councilmember Moore emphasized the south side's economic disparity. The entire First District, she noted, is a food desert—"not just the south side not just in the war house district the entirety of the first District from Bartonville all the way up to War Memorial on the north side." She credited Kim Smith, the plan's implementation coordinator, with tireless community engagement and pledged her commitment to seek matching funds (home funds and Community Development Block Grant dollars) to augment the $1 million already allocated from the South Village Tax Increment Financing district.

Support

Dr. Olle seconded enthusiastically:

"the turnout was tremendous the excitement level was extremely high the concept of the macarthur corridor plan brought a lot of hope to community leaders to community residents of the south side...i think it has potential to attract private investment i think it positions the city for growth on the south side." — Dr. Olle

Dr. Olle cited demographic loss—the south side's population fell from 33,000 in the 1950s to 20,000 by the 1970s and now fewer than 14,000—and framed the plan as an opportunity to reverse decades of disinvestment.

Moore also thanked a roster of community contributors by name: Tommy Arbuckle, Jonathan Romaine, Martha Ross, Larry Ivory (Illinois Black Chamber), Derrick Booth (Peoria Public Schools), Lorraine Bryson (Tri-County Urban League), Pam Adams, Reverend Marvin Hightower (NAACP), IDG Architects, and others, alongside city staff.

Workforce Composition and Diversity Presentation

The city manager, presenting on behalf of the absent HR director Dr. Mohammed, unveiled data revealing the city's diversity crisis: minority representation fell one percentage point over a decade—from 21% (2009) to 20% (2019)—despite strategic recruitment. The city's total workforce contracted 22% (from 812 to 631 full-time employees) owing to layoffs, early-retirement offers, departmental transfers, and staffing freezes.

Data by Job Category

Using Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filings, the manager showed:

The manager noted that female representation in leadership collapsed: female officials/administrators fell from 17 (2009) to 4 (2019); female professionals fell from 32 to 14.

Recruitment Efforts

The city has pursued multiple strategies since 2009:

Despite these efforts, progress has been negligible.

Council Response

Councilmember Moore expressed alarm and demanded accountability:

"going from 21 percent minority in 2009 to 20 percent minority in 2019 means that we haven't made a lot of progress and we haven't had the focus that is required to increase that percentage." — Councilmember Moore

She questioned whether job classifications (professional vs. technician) were being applied objectively or subjectively, raising the concern that numbers could be manipulated by reclassification. The city manager acknowledged that determination rested with whoever made the EEO filing—different managers in different years—but committed to revisiting classifications in the updated affirmative action plan.

Moore also faulted the city for not conducting regular employee opinion surveys (the last was approximately 2016) and recommended quarterly HR director presentations to council. She pressed for the affirmative action plan to include specific goals and strategies for city-wide staff (not just police and fire).

Councilmember Jensen highlighted the gendered decline:

"I've gone from having 17 women that were either officials or administrators to four in 2019 and then we've gone from having 32 female professionals in 2009 to only 14 and 2019 so I know our focus is on increasing minorities but also women and I'd like us as part of our plans that we develop to focus on getting more women and minorities in these leadership positions." — Councilmember Jensen noted she had served on the police/fire Diversity Committee and observed that focused effort had yielded measurable progress there, but city-wide the absence of equivalent focus had yielded stagnation.

Dr. Andre W. Allen contextualized the data within federal affirmative action law:

"Affirmative action plans are required for federal contractors with 50 or more employees...they are designed to ensure equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and they help to identify and analyze potential problems in participation and utilization of women and minorities in the workforce." — Councilmember Alley stressed the plans also include tracking for veterans and individuals with disabilities and urged the city manager to ensure the updated plan (due February 2020) contains specific goals and root-cause analysis of hiring disparities.

Timothy Riggenbach offered subdued support:

"as a white middle-aged I still say middle aged guy it makes me a little uncomfortable and I think that's really good because we can look at this in a number of ways." — Councilmember Riggenbach

He credited the Diversity Committee on Police/Fire with driving that sector's relative progress and urged ongoing council dialogue.

Next Steps

The city manager committed to:

The council voted unanimously to receive and file the presentation pending the detailed affirmative action plan.

Towing Ordinance Revision—$250 Annual Fee

The evening's most contentious first reading involved a long-overdue update to the city's towing fee schedule, unchanged since 2011. Chief [of Police] proposed increasing tow fees to match surrounding jurisdictions and—controversially—imposing a $250 annual fee on tow operators to compensate the city's auto theft investigator for vehicle inspections.

Operator Objections

Don Stanton, owner of Mr. Tote's Wrecker Service (31 years towing for Peoria Police), and Bruce Pedigo, owner of Joe's Towing and president of the State Towing Association, testified in opposition and flagged multiple defects in the ordinance language.

Stanton's core complaint was the $250 fee:

"I asked for a raise to get us up to par with the other police departments the first thing I get from the city is we're going to give you a raise but we're not charge you $250 fee there's no other city slash police department within a hundred and fifty miles of Peoria that does this." — Don Stanton warned the fee would cascade: if Peoria imposed it, the 12 other jurisdictions his company contracts with would follow suit, adding $3,000 annually to his costs while the city netted only $2,500 in revenue. He also objected that he had offered to consult on the ordinance revision but was rebuffed ("if we needed your help we'll call you"), only to receive a poorly drafted ordinance that forced a re-do.

Pedigo highlighted specific legal defects:

  1. Section 30-298 required certified notification to lien holders and vehicle owners within 48 hours of tow, with forfeiture of storage fees on failure. Pedigo noted Illinois state law (Chapter 625, Section 5-4-201 et seq.) already governed this and defined notification as the mailing date, not receipt. He urged the city adopt state statute language.
  2. Section E required tow companies to accept credit/debit/cash but omitted authorization to charge convenience fees—which state law permits. Pedigo asked the ordinance be corrected.
  3. Subsection I required tows to be taken to locations designated by the vehicle owner/driver but mandated police-directed tows go where the officer designates, without guaranteeing payment. Pedigo flagged the missing language "upon payment of services."

Pedigo also lamented lack of consultation:

"there's a lot of clerical issues that need to be cleared up there's some issues that will not work...I would ask that if moving forward maybe we can be involved in the process so that we can get it right." — Bruce Pedigo

Council Response

Councilmember Grab asked if it was typical for the city to charge a fee for doing business with the city. The city manager clarified the $250 was not a licensing fee but compensation for the auto theft investigator's inspection time and regulatory work—not a "fee to be on a list."

Councilmember Montelongo expressed concern the fee set a precedent:

"I could probably see us going down that road of trying to get on a city's list if you want to be a painter drywaller plumber electrical that you're going to have to pay $250 to be on a list to do business with the city be something I wouldn't be in favor of." — Councilmember Montelongo

The city manager committed to consulting with Stanton and Pedigo before final reading and to incorporate their proposed corrections.

Outcome

The item passed first reading with a motion to receive and file; no vote breakdown recorded. The ordinance was deferred for revision and re-presentation.

Other Notable Items

Community Development Block Grant Public Service Funding (19-371): Council unanimously approved $260,000 in grants following recommendations from the Advisory Commission on Human Resources. Councilmember Moore emphasized the need for more organizations to apply for employment-training dollars and proposed partnering with existing grantees to expand capacity.

Storm Sewer Lining Change Order (19-373): Deferred to January pending corrected contract terminology (switching from "annual drainage repair contract" to "storm sewer lining contract").

Proclamations (6 total): The council honored Mike Bailey (99 years old, 75-year Knights of Columbus member, WWII veteran); Dental Arts Laboratories on its 85th anniversary; Weston Walker (class 1A state golf champion); Peoria Notre Dame boys golf team (class 2A state champions); Little Change Big Impact Week (environmental initiative); and Coach Johnny Trudeau (Peoria Rivermen winningest coach, 234 wins in 38 years). Councilmember Sear, himself a former Rivermen player, praised Trudeau's decision to turn down higher-level coaching positions to remain in Peoria and pursue a championship.

South Village—Additional Announcements: Moore announced plans to release request-for-inquiry notices on city-owned vacant properties on Western Avenue and MacArthur Street to encourage private developers to propose projects aligned with the South Village plan. She also praised Pam Rowbottom and common place staff for 15+ years of south-side service and acknowledged the merger with Neighborhood House, which will continue all programming.

Public Access TV Signage (19-393, presentation): City Manager Stacy [last name not given] reported deployment of TightRope digital signage software (also used in Champaign) to display meeting streams, urgent announcements, and meeting notices on public-access cable. A January 1, 2020 launch was targeted, pending final technical setup.

Duration

This item [workforce diversity]: approximately 90 minutes of presentation and discussion.

Total meeting: approximately 4.5 hours (started with six proclamations, multiple consent items, and public comments).

Vote Breakdown

Cannabis Dispensary—West Glen Avenue (19-384)

Cannabis Dispensary—North University (19-386)

South Village Implementation Plan (19-385)

Community Development Block Grant Public Service Funding (19-371)

Workforce Diversity Presentation (19-393)

Towing Ordinance—First Reading (19-394)

Controversies & Context

Cannabis Siting Equity

The West Glen Avenue location reignited debate over whether the city had conducted adequate due diligence in site selection. Opposition leaders questioned whether the applicant had explored alternative locations and whether approval of two dispensaries in the same year could be justified by current demand. The vote's 7-3-1 breakdown suggested discomfort across party lines, but Councilmember Sear's framing—that the council's March 2019 authorization of adult-use sales had already settled the use, leaving only the zoning question—appeared to persuade a narrow majority. The abstention by Jensen (due to her husband's clients' financial interest in the building) was noted on the record.

Workforce Diversity: Structural and Intentional Deficits

The diversity presentation revealed a dissonance between stated goals and measurable outcomes. Despite 10 years of recruitment strategies, minority representation flatlined and female leadership collapsed. Council members variously blamed the workforce contraction (22% reduction overall, with minority headcount dropping faster), the absence of regular monitoring and accountability, and the lack of executive focus on city-wide hiring diversity (vs. the intense, multi-year focus on police and fire).

Councilmember Alley's invocation of federal affirmative action law (OFCCP requirements) underscored that the city was out of compliance and relying on a 2010 plan. The promise to update the plan by February 2020 with specific goals and root-cause analysis represented a concrete next step, but council skepticism about past progress was palpable.

Towing Industry Relations

The tow operators' testimony exposed a breakdown in stakeholder consultation. After three years of discussion, the operators were shut out of the ordinance-drafting process, only to discover legal defects when the revised ordinance reached council. Stanton and Pedigo's public testimony—factual, detailed, and pointed—had an effect: the city manager committed to re-engagement. However, the underlying tension—the $250 fee and the precedent it might establish—remained unresolved.

South Village Revitalization: Private vs. Public Investment

Councilmember Moore's extended argument framing the South Village plan as necessary because private investment was not flowing to the south side (unlike the North Valley and North Valley) articulated a clear disparity in development momentum. The plan's unanimous approval, coupled with Moore's announcement that she would pursue matching grants and encourage private developers via property releases, signaled a shift toward targeted south-side development policy. However, the plan remains aspirational pending actual funding and private commitment.