THE FOLLOWING IS AN ILLINOIS E-NEWS RELEASE
ABOVE: The former site of the Quaker Oats facility off East Voorhees in Danville (Jennifer Bailey / News-Gazette)
Grant funding will support infrastructure improvements and industrial economic development
DANVILLE – Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced a Regional Site Readiness Program award totaling $4 million to support site readiness activities at the site of the former Quaker Oats facility in Danville. To date, the State has awarded $119 million to support 64 projects across Illinois in their site preparedness efforts.
“Danville has a proud manufacturing history, and we’re investing in its next chapter,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “By removing the flood-risk at the former Quaker Oats site, we are making it easier for businesses to put down roots and grow in this community. This $4 million investment will help attract new development opportunities and create jobs for hardworking Illinoisans.”
“Danville is home to a world-class workforce so we’re making sure they have the resources they need to thrive,” said Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. “Supporting these industrial economic and infrastructure improvements means our communities are ready to embrace new growth opportunities when the opportunity arises.”
Danville’s Capital Ready grant will build upon the city’s strong industrial past by making vacant sites more ready to attract future industrial development. The City of Danville owns the Heatcraft site and recently acquired the former Quaker industrial property and the State’s site readiness investment will reestablish reliable access and make the property shovel-ready for heavy industrial, manufacturing and logistics sectors by removing the site’s flood risk, a previous barrier to redevelopment.
“Words cannot express how much we appreciate DCEO and the State of Illinois’ support in making the combined former Quaker and Heatcraft sites ready for industrial development,” said Danville Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr. “The funds provided will allow us to complete flood remediation that will result in a 100-acre shovel-ready site equipped with all of the needed utilities, a rail spur, and a solar installation. This is perhaps our greatest opportunity to bring back manufacturing to our community, and it would not be possible without your partnership.”
The Regional Site Readiness Program prepares sites to attract future industrial investment and new job opportunities across Illinois. Industrial economic development at Illinois sites are being supported by two types of competitive funding opportunities: Planning grants to support due diligence activities, studies and site plans, and Capital Ready grants to support capital infrastructure improvements.
“Danville’s site readiness award is the latest in the State’s efforts to support site readiness activities throughout Illinois,” said DCEO Director Kristin Richards. “By removing barriers to redevelopment through infrastructure improvements, the City of Danville will revitalize its industrial corridor and promote economic opportunity.”
Strategically located in the Midwest, Illinois’ skilled workforce, world-class research institutions, and robust transportation and logistics infrastructure make it ideal for businesses seeking opportunity and long-lasting growth. The Regional Site Readiness Program builds upon the State’s efforts to support communities and landowners in their site readiness planning, assessments, and infrastructure improvements. This includes addressing the financial barriers faced when gathering information and making infrastructure improvements. The program is increasing the number of available Illinois sites with completed due diligence and utility infrastructure, which increases Illinois’ speed-to-market options for industrial projects.
“Illinois’ Regional Site Readiness Program is exactly the type of program that will assist Danville in getting back to its roots of a thriving industrial community,” said Senator Paul Faraci. “With support from the State of Illinois, Danville will make the former Quaker Oats facility ready for industrial development, which will create jobs and opportunity for Illinois families.”
Illinois’ Site Readiness Program represents one piece of a larger, strategic focus on site readiness across the state. This investment is part of Governor Pritzker’s $500 million FY2026 site readiness initiative, the most significant investment in state history to make more sites across Illinois ready for business. This includes $200 million for DCEO’s Site Ready Illinois and the Regional Site Readiness Program. It also includes $300 million for the Surplus to Success program, led by Central Management Services (CMS), to prepare idle State-owned properties for private development. These efforts are complemented by the Illinois Economic Development Corporation’s vetted sites program, which helps match potential job creators with data and information about available locations in Illinois.
“Today’s investment gives Danville the tools to compete for large-scale industrial projects and build on its storied manufacturing heritage,” said Illinois Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Christy George. “We’ve seen again and again that a strong inventory of ready, diverse sites, backed by a skilled workforce and coordinated public-private partnerships, is a winning formula in economic development.”
Following historic momentum and investments in Illinois, the State is positioned to pursue and win ambitious large-scale industrial business development projects though the Site Ready Illinois initiative. The State will expand its efforts to make sites ready for business attraction and business development by funding energy infrastructure to reduce long lead times, and helping municipalities, economic development organizations, and landowners prepare sites for investment.
“The former Quaker Oats site has been part of Danville’s story for generations, and now it will be part of our future. Removing the flood risk opens the door to the kind of investment our community has been working toward. Vermilion Advantage and the City of Danville have a strong partnership, and together we will actively market this site to employers, connect them with the skilled people of Vermilion County, and turn this investment into lasting jobs across the region,” said Amy Brown, President & CEO, Vermilion Advantage.
Passed in 2019, Rebuild Illinois is the largest capital program in Illinois history. The $45 billion investment is supporting improvements to the state’s infrastructure, creating jobs, and promoting economic growth.
