Newspaper | Peoria Journal Star
Author | JJ Bullock
Why Peoria approved a higher sales tax for a longtime shopping center
March 24, 2026
Key Points:
- The Peoria City Council approved a sales tax increase for the Westlake Shopping Center.
- The special tax will rise from 0.75% to 1% and is extended until 2055.
- Revenue from the additional tax goes to the property owner for site improvements.
PEORIA — The City Council showered praise on the owner of a popular Peoria shopping center as it approved an increased sales tax for businesses at the center.
Members of the council applauded developer Les Cohen, the owner of the Westlake Shopping Center, for operating what they called one of the best-looking and well-run shopping centers in the city before they approved an additional .25% tax to be tacked onto sales there.
Westlake Shopping Center, which operates in a special-service area, has enjoyed a 0.75% additional sales tax on all sales at the shopping center since 2010, and on Tuesday night the council agreed, in a 9-1 vote, to raise that special tax to 1% and extend it to 2055.
The additional sales tax is given to the property owner, Cohen, who will use it to make improvements to the site. With this new approval, however, the city will now have the ability to see itemized expenses at Westlake outlining how the money generated by the tax was spent on improvements.
According to a handout given to the council by Westlake, the current occupancy rate at the shopping center is 91% and the gross sales revenue generated in 2025, minus the SSA exemptions, was $52.4 million in 2025 and is projected to be $57.2 million in 2026.
Councilmembers who supported the measure said it would allow Westlake to remain one of the premiere shopping centers in Peoria, while simultaneously rewarding it for what they characterized as being one of the more well-run shopping centers in the city for years.
Only councilmember Alex Carmona voted against the measure, saying while he agreed that Westlake was one of the best shopping centers in the city, he wanted to protect the pockets of consumers who would be — in his opinion — unwittingly paying extra money so a developer could make improvements at their property.
Westlake Shopping Center certainly is one of Peoria’s more thriving shopping destinations, serving as the home for popular tenants such as Binny’s Beverage Depot, Five Guys, Burlington and Ulta Beauty, among others, while serving as the anchor for a busy stretch of Sterling Avenue that is also home to Northwoods Mall.
City Councilmember Tim Riggenbach likened the extra sales tax at Westlake to a “cover charge,” saying it would enhance the experience for shoppers via improvements made to the infrastructure. Riggenbach, too, applauded Cohen for having spent $30 million of private capital over the years in making improvements to the shopping center, allowing it to remain a gem in Peoria.
“… The information Westlake has provided us is an amazing testimony to how successful this is. With their annual gross sales just 10 years ago at $32 million, the 2026 projection is $57 million, that’s $25 million increase, that’s amazing in this retail environment that we find ourselves in post-COVID,” Riggenbach said.
Riggenbach, who said he had at first opposed the idea of the SSA when it first came to the council many years ago, said Tuesday night he now wishes more shopping centers had done the same thing in the city, while also noting the success places such as Junction City and Keller Station have had with similar SSAs and business development districts.
“You look at some of the shopping centers, particularly in my third district, they could use a little extra TLC and if they had availed themselves of this tool, perhaps there wouldn’t be so many vacancies in them,” Riggenbach said. “… I don’t think you can look any further than Westlake itself to say how powerful this tool has been for them making it truly an award-winning, national award-winning center and some place that we all are proud to have in our backyard.”
Andre Allen, whose 4th District is home to the shopping center, called Westlake one of the “premier shopping destinations” in the Peoria area and said, given challenges facing the retail market and competition with other cities, this additional tax would keep Westlake competitive and attractive to businesses.
“I do want to acknowledge we have Les Cohen in the chambers today and I appreciate the materials that he provided. We have a nice timeline here that illustrates the impact that this shopping center has had here in our community for over 50 years now, being one of the premier retail destinations in our region, providing over 500 jobs to our community as well as creating an ideal shopping experience not only for those in the city of Peoria but for those that come to this area to shop throughout our region and throughout our state,” Allen said.
Councilman Zach Oyler celebrated Cohen, saying the developer has “shown what incentives can do,” later adding that if more shopping centers in Peoria followed the lead of Westlake they would be in better shape.
“Frequently we have these conversations about incentives and whether we should or should not have them and what impact it has on the economy and our retail, and it at times gets very philosophical without having the results to back it up with, but I just want to point out the fact that Mr. Cohen here is showing us exactly what incentives can do for a community, especially when it comes to retail,” Oyler said.
“You have a well-run, effective, beautiful, economy contributing shopping center that is actually a benefit to our community and that in large part is due to our ability to work with him and give the incentives it takes to make retail happen in a community like ours. So, thank you, Mr. Cohen, for your continued contributions to this economy,” Oyler added. “And if some of our other retail centers would look to these alternatives they might be in a much better condition and be able to contribute much more to our local revenue and economy. So, thank you, Westlake, for your support in this community.”