Dixon City Council to vote on $4.8 million infrastructure work for Gateway Project

DIXON – The Dixon City Council will soon vote on a $4.8 million contract for the Gateway Project infrastructure buildout.

The Gateway Project is a commercial development expected to bring gas stations, restaurants and at least one hotel to the Interstate 88 corridor.

The site along South Galena Avenue across from Walmart between Keul and Bloody Gulch roads broke ground in April with the plan to construct a dozen buildings.

Site work to level the ground started shortly after but was then delayed as developers had to redraw plans to accommodate a second gas station.

It’s being developed by Xsite Real Estate of Burr Ridge and Walsh Partners of Elmhurst. Xsite is the developer of Presidential Parkway Plaza, the four-building project north of Walmart along the south side of Keul Road. The city, the Lee County Industrial Development Association and Sauk Valley Bank are also partners in the project.

The council approved final amended plat lines for the project in September.

The city has $3 million in state grants to go toward the project infrastructure.

The council was scheduled to vote Monday to award Oregon-based Martin & Co. Excavating the contract for the infrastructure work, but the meeting was canceled Friday.

The vote will be moved to a future meeting.

Martin & Co. provided the lowest bid at about $4.87 million, which came in about $600,000 above the engineer’s estimate for the work.

The project is expected to create more than 600 jobs and $1 million a year in new tax revenue.

Businesses taking up shop in the Gateway footprint are yet to be announced.