Wood River City Council Meeting
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WOOD RIVER – Members of the Wood River City Council on Monday approved an agreement to renovate a former pizza restaurant in hopes of attracting a coffee shop and/or bakery to fill the vacant space.
Council members approved a redevelopment agreement with Wood River Properties LLC to renovate the property at 7 N. Wood River Ave. The site was the former home of 1929 Pizza & Wine, which has since moved to Edwardsville after initially opening in Wood River in 2022.
The ideal “proposed tenant” for the property is described as a bakery and coffee shop with sandwich offerings, according to the TIF application submitted by Tom Declue of Wood River Properties LLC.
Under the agreement, the city would reimburse Wood River Properties for up to $34,867 in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to renovate the space. These TIF funds would cover 50% of the estimated project cost of $64,875. The full scope of the project includes the installation of a new stove, fryer, and vent hood in an effort to attract restaurant tenants.
“This location has been vacant since November of 2024,” Declue stated in the TIF application. “It has been a struggle to find tenants, these improvements will be attractive to restaurants and a bakery with sandwiches would be a good fit for downtown.
“I have already put over $300,000 into this building with no city assistance. I will not be able to put any more money into this project without assistance.”
The agreement was approved on a vote of 4-0. Councilman Bill Dettmers was absent from the meeting.
A full recording of the May 5, 2025 Wood River City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
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