2018/08/22 - Walter's Blog: Downtown O'Fallon is Under Construction

Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton
 

August 22, 2018

If you have visited downtown O’Fallon over the past few weeks, you likely noticed an extraordinary amount of construction. While I cannot prove it, this may be the most construction in the downtown area at one time since the big fire on First Street in the 1950's.

Here are some of the exciting things going on around downtown O’Fallon:

  • O’Fallon Station: The pavilion is going vertical with structural steel. The community event center is expected to open in November.
  • City Hall renovation and parking lot: 46 new downtown parking spaces are open, and City Hall has been retrofitted for security.
  • First Street parking expansion: 12 new parking spaces are under construction in the old bus lane next to the Chamber of Commerce office on First Street.
  • Outdoorsman Lounge expansion: The venerable tavern is getting a new room and facelift.
  • 115 W. State Street renovations: The old church is undergoing renovations for commercial tenants.
  • 105 E. State Street renovations (formerly AC Computers): The building recently completed renovations and being marketed for commercial tenants.

In addition to these ongoing projects, coming soon are the new commercial building on First Street next to the Outdoorsman Lounge (housing an expanded Sweet Katie Bee’s), the demolition of the Paul’s Frame Shop building at State/Lincoln, and redevelopment of the old FirstBank building (200 S. Lincoln) by the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation. Just down the street, Southview Plaza is scheduled to be demolished soon to make way for redevelopment.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the remarkable projects over the past few years that set the stage for today’s activity:

  • Gia’s Pizza/Shooters: These two restaurants started it all several years ago with a bet on downtown revitalization.
  • Opera House renovations: This is somewhat invisible, but the office building is home to several small businesses and acts as an “incubator” for home-grown O’Fallon businesses.
  • Peel Pizza and Brewery: This project was an extraordinary transformation of a derelict property into a regional destination.
  • Sal Cincotta Photography: Mr. Cincotta’s renovation of the old Schwarz Furniture Store is an anchor to downtown O’Fallon’s revitalization.
  • Fezziwigs: The store brings a touch of class to downtown.
  • Bike Surgeon: There is always something happening at this store, bringing two and four wheeled traffic to downtown O’Fallon.
  • Old City Hall: Brad McMillan transformed this historic building for modern use by the Karla Smith Foundation.