Joliet Seeks Input on City Square Project
The City of Joliet recently began the detailed design of City Square, located across from the Rialto Square Theatre at the corner of Clinton and Chicago Streets.
City officials will share those initial design concepts with the community and receive feedback at a Community Open House from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb,23, in the Burnham Room of the Joliet Public Library, 150 N. Ottawa St.
Although there will not be a formal presentation, residents are welcome to attend the open house any time between 4 and 7 p.m. Project team members will be present to discuss design concepts and receive input.
“The City really wants input on the design so that these improvements best meet the needs of the community,” Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said in a press release.
“I believe that City Square will be a catalytic transformation of underutilized, publicly owned space. It will bring a vibrant gathering place to the heart of downtown Joliet.”
The preliminary designs that will be presented at the February 23rd Open House build upon the 2018 concept plan for the 1.3-acre site. In the spring of 2022, the city committed funding to move the project from a concept plan to one that leads to construction.
City officials announced in August that the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) also had committed $3 million in funding for the City Square project through the Rebuild Downtowns & Main Streets Capital Grant Program.
The final design is expected to wrap up by late 2023 for the construction of City Square to begin in 2024. The project will be completed by the end of 2025. Both historic Route 66 and the Rialto Square Theatre will celebrate their 100-year anniversaries in 2026.
To keep residents and business owners informed, city officials created a website for the project: www.joliet.gov/CitySquare.