December 27, 2024
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Utica to vote May 30 on retail plaza

Contractors want more time to prepare bids

By Tom Collins
A new retail store was delivered to the Utica Village Hall on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Construction will begin on the Market on Mill soon. The 12'x12' with a four-foot porch portable retail stalls will use the area directly north of the 2004 Tornado Memorial downtown Utica where a gravel parking lot exists. A total of 12 retail stalls will be delivered to the Village of Utica in the next few weeks.

The Utica Village Board will award a bid May 30 to a contractor to develop the Market on Mill, the proposed outdoor retail plaza. (Scott Anderson)

The Utica Village Board will award a bid May 30 to a contractor to develop the Market on Mill, the proposed outdoor retail plaza.

Although a winning bid was expected to be awarded Thursday, Utica Village Engineer Kevin Heitz said that interested contractors wanted more time. The board postponed the vote for one week.

The Market on Mill was inspired by outdoor plazas in Batavia and Muskegon, Michigan. The plaza will feature 89 striped parking spaces over a paved surface, replacing the gravel lot with free-for-all parking including handicapped-accessible spots. Utica will begin with 12 portable retail stalls, with space for another six, and the shops will face inward toward a green area with artificial turf.

Utica received a Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets capital grant for almost $1.25 million in August 2022 for construction of the retail plaza.

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