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Kankakee Riverfront Master Plan

Kankakee Riverfront Master Plan

close Kankakee Riverfront Master Plan
 

Master Plan Design | Kankakee, Illinois

In 2018 community leaders approved a sweeping and detailed plan to create and sustain an extraordinary riverfront that is the catalyst for Kankakee’s renaissance as a premiere Illinois riverfront community. The multi-dimensional strategy emphasizes a package of distinctive river attractions, three-dimensional river connections, tax-advantaged redevelopment, and the vigorous promotion of a compelling, new river-centric brand. Just blocks from downtown, the high-exposure, $20 million Riverwalk Mill Race District will feature a national-caliber whitewater course carved out of a nine-foot low-head dam, a high-amenity promenade, a festival street, transient boat facilities and numerous mixed-use redevelopment sites. Connected by four miles of trails, the riverfront will also feature artistically sculpted riverbanks, a river-themed children’s garden, and numerous neighborhood and river connections. By 2028, the first $30 million of improvements should create significant cultural, recreational, and social benefits and stimulate tens of millions in new development generating over $2 million incremental, annual tax revenue. Hitchcock Design Group and its team of market economics, whitewater, and engineering experts facilitated extensive, multi-channel community outreach, illustrated the strategy, and outlined a three-year action plan including an integrated series of policy, operational, and capital improvements.

Client

City of Kankakee

 

Design Team

Market and Feasibility Advisors

S20 Design and Engineering

Piggush Engineering

 

Awards

Merit Award, Burnham Awards for Planning and Analysis, Illinois Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects, 2018

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