Construction has begun on Beck’s planned gas station in Streator, with demolition of buildings near the former Immaculate Conception Church site expected soon.

City Manager David Plyman said Beck’s fenced off the property last week and is moving forward under the development agreement approved by the city. Plyman said demolition is expected to proceed once the remaining Illinois Department of Transportation permits are finalized.

“There were some permits they needed to pull from the state in order to do a utility disconnect,” Plyman said. “After that, I think things are going to proceed pretty quickly.”

City Engineer Jeremy Palm said Fox Demolition has filed a demolition permit and plans to tear down structures on the site in phases, starting with the former manufacturing buildings and working toward the church.

Palm mentioned that additional coordination with IDOT will be required before the church’s steeple can be removed, which could delay that portion of the demolition by a month or two.

“We’re going to work with IDOT to obtain a permit so we can redirect traffic while they’re working on the steeple itself,” Palm said. “You won’t see the church come down until that permit is in place.”

Beck’s was unavailable for comment on Monday morning.

Streator City Council approved the project last year. The $11 million development includes a gas station, convenience store and car wash.

Under a pay-as-you-go tax increment financing agreement, the city will reimburse Beck’s up to $2.57 million over time from new property tax revenue generated by the site, with no upfront cost to the city.

In an estimate in August last year, the city and county tax assessor said the project could generate about $150K in property taxes annually.