PEKIN (25News Now) – In a 5-2 vote, Pekin City Council voted on Monday night to move forward with constructing a methanol plant in the Riverway Business Park, located at 300 Hanna Drive.

Ambient Fuels of New York would invest around $550 million to buy 47 acres of the 57-acre site to build the industrial headquarters and other buildings.

Mayor Mary Burress said this project could bring new jobs to the community.

“It will be everything from 25 new head household jobs to the impact of the community on our property tax,” said Burress.

The Pekin Economic Development Director Josh Wray said residents shouldn’t be able to smell the methanol.

He also said the plant is making methanol and selling it, not burning it.

“It’s not going to increase your home’s property taxes, it will increase the property taxes for that site,” said Wray. “The city currently owns it. We don’t pay property taxes to ourselves. When they buy it and they own it and develop it, the property taxes will go up significantly to the tune of $10 million.”

Wray said that’s all money that will go into the TIF district that the city can use for infrastructure projects.

He also said this is not the final approval, as Ambient Fuels will have to bring more engineering studies to the city before making the decision.

Rick Hilst and Lloyd Orrick were the only two who voted no. 25News reached out to them and wasn’t able to get an interview.

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