ALEDO, Ill. — Aledo community members are getting steps closer to the final plans of the reconstruction of a historic building.
Economic Growth Corporation held a meeting Tuesday, Feb. 8 to give an update on the Northside Lofts development.
The building used to be Northside Junior High School. It'll be converted into a 30-unit apartment building that ranges from a studio space to a two-bedroom loft.
During the meeting, GROWTH presented new amenity plans drawn from the ideas given by the community during a meeting in October. Economic Growth Corporation Vice President Charlotte Flickinger said the Northside Lofts will have a basketball court, community garden, and an internet café using broadband.
Flickinger said the lofts will be income-based, which will provide lower rent prices for tenants whose salary is $32,000 or less a year.
Developers introduced energy-saving technology they'll be using to save money for renters.
"We're up to $11.8 million because we are also incorporating green technology into the adaptive reuse. So that will keep folks utility bills down, and also make it more attractive to our funders," Flickinger said.
During the initial meeting in 2021, the community stressed that they wanted the development to draw attention to Aledo's downtown area while keeping the exterior of the historic building the same.
"Many of them wanted to have more traffic downtown to create a more vibrant area in the historic district, that is downtown Aledo," Flickinger said. "And bringing folks renting apartments and working in the community is a great way to do that."
Construction is scheduled to begin in November.
If you want to see a recap of Tuesday's GROWTH community meeting, click here.