Aurora mayor (with a mic drop): City is 'renewed and reawakened'
It was a State of a City address unlike any other.
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin delivered his speech Tuesday night during a rally-like event in the middle of Fox Valley Mall that featured music from a DJ, NBA-style introductions for city staff members and elected officials, and a closing mic drop.
When Irvin took the stage, he wasn't bashful about showing his enthusiasm for the city. He spent the next 50 minutes explaining why he believes Aurora has a bright future.
"We are finally one Aurora, and we definitely are second to none," Irvin said to cheers from a crowd of roughly 350.
"The state of Aurora is renewed and reawakened," he said. "The state of Aurora is revitalized and re-energized. The state of Aurora is redeveloped and rebirthed."
The mayor talked about significant strides in the areas of community engagement, public safety and education. He then focused on economic development.
"The eyes of the development world are on the city of Aurora," Irvin said, "and we must be prepared to continue this economic development boom we will be experiencing, hopefully, well into the future."
Over the past year, there have been 45 ribbon cuttings and grand openings in Aurora. Concepts have turned into concrete, brick and mortar, "and we are open for business," Irvin said.
From the west side to the east side, the mayor says Aurora is being renewed, redeveloped and revitalized.
A long-dormant property - the former Copley Hospital at Lincoln and Weston avenues - is undergoing a renovation that will transform the site into a campus with a mix of uses, including housing for senior citizens, residences for adults with disabilities and medical offices.
"This $128 million investment is the single largest development project on Aurora's east side in more than a generation," Irvin said.
Irvin said planned improvements to Fox Valley Mall will make it "a magnet for even more great things that lie ahead."
He also praised the Pacifica Square development, an Asian-themed shopping center at Route 59 and New York Street. Several new restaurants have opened at Pacifica Square, which eventually will have eateries, office space and apartments.
Downtown Aurora also is being revitalized with new restaurants and residential units. Irvin said buildings that had been vacant for decades are being brought back to life.
He said the Terminal Building on the northwest corner of Broadway and Galena Boulevard is under construction with a restaurant and retail on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors.
Other buildings being remodeled include the former West Aurora District 129 headquarters along River Street, which will have retail and office space on the ground floor and residential units on the second.
Irvin talked about a long list of openings over the past year in downtown, including The Paramount School of the Arts, the Stolp Island Social restaurant along Galena, and the Altiro Latin Fusion restaurant on the ground floor of Leland Tower at Galena and Stolp Avenue.
MORA Asian Fusion, meanwhile, is in the process of building out what will be a four-story establishment in downtown that will have different restaurants on each level.
Irvin said a project planned for the former Carson's building along Route 31 will help transform that corridor "into something amazing." There also are plans to put new residential developments on both banks of the Fox River that "will rival any other riverfront city," he said.
Irvin says this is the time to invest in Aurora.
"We've seen where we've come," he said. "We now have a clear direction of where we are going. And we know what we need to do to get there. So let's do it together."
The speech ended with Irvin proclaiming, "The renaissance continues!" and dropping his microphone.