Excerpts from mystateline.com:
The City of Rockford is considering a plan to build a $10 million fire station on the “Miracle Mile,” at the site of the former Magna grocery store on E. State Street.
Under the proposed plan, the Rockford Fire Department Station 10, at 3407 Rural Street, would be relocated to a newly constructed State Street station.
The Magna shopping center, formerly at 3915 E. State Street, also once housed an Osco Drug and Jewel, sat vacant for nearly two decades.
The city seized the building in 2020 and it was demolished later that year. A condemned strip mall next to the former grocer was also demolished in 2020.
The empty lot, next to the Don Carter Lanes bowling alley, has hosted multiple car shows over the years and was used as a pop-up drive-in theater.
However, the fire department says the site is in need of redevelopment, which would include improvements to Keith Creek, currently channeled under the parking lot.
The current Rural Street station is in need of maintenance and repairs, which have been put on pause since the idea of relocating to E. State Street was floated in 2020.
The fire department added that its location in a residential neighborhood slows its response time.
Planning for the new fire station would begin if the project is approved at Monday night’s city council meeting, and would utilize American Rescue Plan spending funds and TIF funds for improvement to the site outside of the new fire station.
