$90M project near ABC Supply Stadium highlights South Beloit development plans

SOUTH BELOIT, Ill. (WTVO) – South Beloit officials are gearing up for a number of projects in the city, one being a multi-million-dollar development on the Illinois-Wisconsin border.

The 12-acre piece of land is directly across Shirland Avenue from ABC Supply Stadium that has been undeveloped or years. Crews will break ground there next year on a $90 million project officials say will help transform the area

“In December, our council signed a development agreement with Rock River Development,” City Administrator Sonya Hopper said. “It’s a very mixed-use concept, a lot of residential with a handful of commercial entities as well.”

The city will first clean up the site so it’s shovel ready.

“There’s a $317,000 grant that we were awarded to by the EPA to start cleanup on Shirland Avenue,” Hopper said.

Although the development will be sited on the Illinois side of Shirland Avenue, officials say it will benefit communities on both sides of the border.

“We support their efforts to make South Beloit a destination,” said Drew Pennington, Beloit’s Economic Development Director. “The environmental center, Nature At The Confluence, is a huge destination for them. The stadium is huge destination for us. Linking them together with trails, parking and other amenities is a huge effort that we support.”

South Beloit has also secured $1.3 million grant to clean up a parcel of land along Blackhawk Boulevard. Hoppes hopes the land will eventually be a park that would expand Nature At The Confluence.

“There are six fuel tanks buried there, so we will remove and remediate all of that, and it would be just one step closer to a beautiful expansion of that park site,” Hoppes said.

Under the development agreement with Georgia-based Rock River Development, South Beloit will deed the property to the developmer at no cost. The city will also acquire a right-of-way from Union Pacific Railroad.

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