Peoria County is inviting residents to review and comment on its draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan, according to a May 8 announcement. Community members can attend open houses throughout May and June or submit feedback online until the end of June.
The county says the comprehensive plan will serve as a long-term guide for future development, reflecting community values and aspirations. Residents, businesses, and other stakeholders are encouraged to participate in shaping the document, which aims to help decision-makers prepare for change.
A series of open houses will be held at various locations including the Peoria Riverfront Museum on May 12, Alpha Park Public Library on May 18, Sierra Club Heart of Illinois on May 20, Distillery Labs on May 27 (with two sessions), Brimfield Library on June 1, Lillie M Evans Library District on June 8, Peoria County Farm Bureau on June 16, Central Illinois Emergency Expo at The Shoppes at Grand Prairie on June 17, and Morrison and Mary Wiley Library in Elmwood on June 18. Full details about the process and an online survey are available at https://peoriacounty200plus.com/.
The draft plan was developed using feedback from previous public comments starting in 2025. The county reports that this is now the second round of plan development. Adoption by the Peoria County Board is expected later this year.
In related data about local schools in Peoria County: The average student-to-teacher ratio was reported as fifteen-to-one during the last school year with over twenty-seven thousand students enrolled across sixty-four schools; teacher absenteeism stood at thirty-two percent compared to a statewide average of thirty-five percent; Dunlap High School had the highest enrollment of white students while Richwoods High School had the highest number of multiracial students; Lincoln School recorded the largest Hispanic student population; and Peoria High School had the most Black students—all according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
