Yorkville to sell former downtown post office for redevelopment

YORKVILLE – The city of Yorkville plans to sell the former post office building in the downtown but first wants to see what prospective developers might have in mind.

The building at 201 W. Hydraulic St. is home to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, which will be moving to the new Yorkville City Hall later this year.

With no further need for the old post office space, city officials will be inviting developers to submit a formal “request for proposal” to buy and redevelop the property.

Tucked away between the south bank of the Fox River and the railroad line along Hydraulic, city officials believe the property is ripe for redevelopment and will fit nicely into their larger plans for rejuvenating the historic downtown business district.

“We’ve had some real interest in the downtown,” Mayor John Purcell said.

The Yorkville City Council is expected to review and possibly approve a request for proposal document at its June 14 meeting.

Under a timeline prepared by City Administrator Bart Olson, the redevelopment proposals would be unveiled on Sept. 13.

Afterwards, the council would select a developer and begin direct negotiations during the later part of the year, Olson said.

The redevelopment proposals are to include information on the applicant, a narrative of the developer’s vision for the project and a site plan along with a sale price.

A year ago, the city considered seeking redevelopment proposals for the old post office as well as the Van Emmon Activity Center at 102 E. Van Emmon Street, but those plans did not materialize.

Now, with renovations underway to transform a former professional office building into the new Yorkville City Hall, there is a renewed interest in redeveloping the former post office site, which covers less than half an acre.

While the parks department will continue to operate its heavy equipment from a garage at 185 Wolf St., parks and recreation staff members will be moving to the new city hall at 651 Prairie Point Drive on the city’s far northeast side.

The city also is expected to sell the existing city hall and police headquarters at 800 Game Farm Road.