Notice for Downtown West Campus
Notice
In the past year, Rock Valley College purchased several properties in the downtown Rockford area. These properties were purchased in order for Rock Valley College to construct a new downtown Rockford campus. The College will construct two new buildings totaling approximately 70,000 to 90,000 square feet which will house adult education, automotive repair programs, early childhood education, refugee and immigrant services, truck driver training, a training center for police, human services, and community space. The goal of this campus is to bring training and career opportunities to a segment and area of the community college district that has lacked these resources. Many of the programs that will be lodged in the downtown campus are specifically designed to elevate and improve working adults’ opportunities, and to make their lives better through education. The College is working with many partners on this project including Winnebago County, the City of Rockford, and several state legislators.
To accomplish this construction, the College plans to demolish three buildings located at 720 Chestnut St., 311 South Winnebago St., and 327 South Winnebago St. in Rockford, Illinois. The State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) notified the College that these buildings are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The College is agreeing to take measures to mitigate the adverse impacts of the College’s project. This includes conducting a Historic Illinois Building Survey (HIBS) for each building. This consists of high-definition photographs, and measuring of the sites. In addition, a history of the site must be drafted and submitted to the State Historical Preservation Office for its archives. Inside the new buildings, the College will dedicate an area to display and memorialize the previous buildings and how the buildings impacted the area.
The College invites the public to provide comment on the College’s mitigation efforts. The public can direct comments on the College’s project, demolition of buildings, and mitigation efforts to RVC-PublicRelations@rockvalleycollege.edu. The College will also host a video conference to discuss the Project and the mitigation efforts on September 9, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. The link to the video conference is provided below.
Access the Video Conference (on Sept. 9)