UPDATED 4:01 P.M.
PEORIA, Ill. – The city of Peoria and the owners of the downtown Riverview Plaza building were to have a circuit court hearing Thursday morning, regarding the status of the building. But a settlement between the two parties prevented the hearing from happening.
The settlement between the city and MJ Illinois LLC addresses deficiencies that caused the Peoria Fire Department to shutter the building in February. The building was closed after water was seen across the street from the building, which led to the discovery of failures in the fire prevention systems.
Peoria city attorney Patrick Hayes says the settlement is a big step forward in getting repair work done on the building.
“We’ve achieved a significant element of our enforcement process purposes, getting acknowledgement of the violations,” Hayes said.
The agreement calls for repairs to be made to the fire alarm and suppression systems, with the city delaying fines for six months while repairs were to take place. It also calls for MJ to reimburse $10,151.25 in inspection fees before October 1st. The parking deck in the area will also be required to have repairs and renovations done to it.
Hayes says there are safeguards in the settlement to ensure the work gets done.
“Many of these violations carry with it daily fines,” Hayes said. “And so the daily fines can be, in this arena, anywhere from $500 to $5,000 a day, depending on the violation.”
Hayes says six month waiving of fines can be flexible, provided MJ does repair work in good faith. For example, he says work on the parking deck will take longer than six months, needing a construction season or two to be completed.
Hayes says the city will be able to track progress on the repair work through regular inspections and permit applications, as most of the work to be done will need both.
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PEORIA, Ill. – A settlement has been reached between the city of Peoria and the owners of the downtown Riverview Plaza building.
City attorney Patrick Hayes says the agreement reached Thursday means the building’s owners, MJ Illinois LLC, will admit to code violations on the parking deck, the fire suppression system, and the fire alarms.
Hayes says the city has agreed to defer penalties for six months to allow the owners to rehab the building.
And MJ Illinois will reimburse $10,125 in inspection fees.
The building has been shut down by the Peoria Fire Department since February.
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