Ottawa urged to create a master plan for Riverfront project

The design phase on a $4 million amphitheater on the Illinois riverfront in downtown Ottawa still is underway, but Economic Development Director Dave Noble urged the city to have a comprehensive plan for the riverfront before it can wrap up.

Noble spoke to the City Council during the budget workshop on March 16, where he said building on the riverfront shouldn’t start without an understanding of what’s going on around it.

“You kind of have to figure out your grading plan for the entire downtown waterfront park around it,” Noble said. “You have to figure out where your lots are going to go, and what you’re going to sell.”

Noble said figuring out how all the pieces fit together is going to take some engineering design and long-term planning, which needs to be done before the final amphitheater design is in place.

The amphitheater will be aided along by a $3 million Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets Capital Program grant that the city will match with $1,010,500, but Noble said that doesn’t count for the overall design. Noble requested $100,000 in the city budget for a detailed design.

Noble referred to that $100,000 as a placeholder, because the true cost of the design is not yet known.

The city said in the grant application that construction could be finished as soon as December 2024.