Utica retail plaza work underway

Church Street in Utica is closed from Route 178 to Mill Street. It won’t be closed long, but the Market on Mill project has begun in earnest, and Utica residents will see construction pylons the rest of the summer.

“We hope to open Church Street relatively quickly,” Mayor David Stewart said Tuesday. “Hopefully, we’ll have it opened by the weekend.”

The Market on Mill is a proposed outdoor retail plaza. The area north of Church Street sits in a floodplain that has deterred brick-and-mortar construction. Utica officials brainstormed a solution and decided to build an open-air shopping venue with portable retail stalls, modeled after Batavia and Muskegon, Michigan.

This week, contractors began the subterranean work such as improving drainage. Stewart said he hopes that by early to mid-August work will shift to the center of the project, where visitors will patronize 12 retail stalls.

Which businesses will occupy the portables is to be determined. The village is in the process of finalizing the application process needed for business owners to lease one of the retail units. Stewart said he’s optimistic that the village will find many takers.

“We’ve had quite a few people inquire about them,” Stewart said, “so once it’s out and about, we’ll let people know how to get an application. I do believe we will be able to fill all 12 units with no problem.”

The village hopes to have the Market on Mill up and running by the Burgoo Festival, this year set for Oct. 12 to 13.

The timing could be favorable for the village. Utica is enjoying strong retail sales – 2024 is on pace for its third-best year – but sales are tied to Starved Rock tourism and generally decline after fall colors. The Market on Mill could reverse the November and December drop-off and help Utica compete with neighboring cities for holiday shoppers.

The Village Board awarded the construction contract for $1,842,692 to Illinois Valley Excavating Inc. at a June meeting. The village obtained a $1.25 million grant and committed another $250,000 to the project. Stewart said the remaining $343,000 would be obtained later, and as the project progresses, likely from the tax increment financing and water-sewer funds. There will be no tax increase.

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Crews continue to work on the site of the Utica retail plaza Wednesday, July 24, 2024, near the intersection of Mill and Grove streets. Workers started replacing water lines, adding rock and preparing to redo the Market on Mill area. The project is scheduled to be completed just before Burgoo. (Scott Anderson)