THE FOLLOWING IS A CITY OF DANVILLE RELEASE
Danville, Illinois, May 21, 2026 –
The City of Danville has begun environmental remediation at the corner of Fairchild Street and Vermilion Street, commonly known as the former First Farmer’s Bank and Fonner’s Dry Cleaners.
During initial environmental testing, residual dry-cleaning chemicals and petroleum contaminants were discovered in the soil at levels that require remediation before any redevelopment can occur.
In an effort to protect taxpayers and advance redevelopment responsibly, the City applied for and was awarded approximately $1 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Cleanup Grant Program in 2023. These funds will allow the City to partner with the EPA to remove and neutralize remaining contaminants at the site.
The remediation process will include excavation of soil up to 45 feet below the surface, additional environmental testing, and treatment of any groundwater impacts identified during the project.
Excavation work is expected to begin soon and will likely take several weeks to complete. Ongoing soil and groundwater testing, along with site restoration and backfilling, will extend the project timeline over the coming months.
At this time, a developer has not expressed interest. Interested developers may contact the Community Development Department at (217) 431-2321 or via email at
pwoffice@cityofdanville.org
Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr. emphasized the long-term vision for the site, stating:
“This is an important step toward transforming a key corner of our city. While we don’t have a developer in place yet, we’re doing the work now to make this site ready for investment. This location has strong potential, and we fully expect it to attract the kind of commercial development we’ve seen with projects like Sonic and Jimmy John’s.”
