Morris has the state grant in hand and an engineering firm under contract. Nearly 800 people filled out the survey, and the first public open house is done. Almost nothing a person standing on Liberty Street would notice has been settled yet. That includes where the curbs will bump out, how many parking spaces change and what the sidewalks look like. Even the year construction starts is still open.
That gap matters because the talk around town tends to run ahead of the paperwork. Here is where the city's own documents and the local reporting actually stand as of early October 2026, and why your downtown routine through most of next year probably looks the same as it does now.
What's Locked In
A handful of facts are fixed, and they show the outline of the project:
- The money. Morris received a Rebuild Downtowns and Main Streets grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for $771,263, according to the Morris Herald-News in May 2025. The Grundy County Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Morris Restaurant & Retail Association both backed the application.
- The consultant. The city accepted a proposal from Terra Engineering in October 2025.
- The boundaries. The streetscape study covers Liberty Street from Illinois Street north to the railroad tracks.
- The basic idea. The plan comes from the Downtown Master Plan the city adopted in 2020. It calls for bump-outs at intersections that create room for seating, plants and outdoor dining, make crossings safer and bring the district up to ADA standards. The city's column describes the construction as a chance to modernize utilities above and below ground.
The number of bump-outs is less certain than it sounds. The grant announcement described bump-outs at three intersections. A July 2026 column by Julie Wilkinson, the city's business development director, says four. Neither source names the intersections.
The Grant Covers a Fraction of the Bill
The number count shifts because the project is bigger than the grant. When the city hired Terra Engineering in October 2025, the Morris Herald-News reported an overall estimate of about $2.4 million, with the city covering about $1.6 million. At $771,263, the state grant pays for roughly a third of that estimate.
The city's project FAQ says the grant goes toward the project and "a portion of the intersection improvements." As design continues, the city and its consultants are reviewing costs and looking for more grants to pay for the rest of the final design. The same FAQ says construction may come in multiple phases depending on funding.
That's the key point for anyone trying to picture the finished street. The design shown at future open houses will probably include more than the first phase of construction can deliver. How much of it gets built, and in what order, depends on money the city hasn't secured yet.
Two Start Dates on the Same Calendar
The timeline has moved more than once, and the official sources don't fully agree:
| Milestone | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Surveying and preliminary engineering | Began early 2026 | City column, Morris Herald-News, July 27, 2026 |
| Volunteer steering committee | Formed spring 2026 | Same column |
| Public survey | Nearly 800 responses in July 2026; now closed | Same column; morrisdowntown.com |
| First open house | Announced for August 11; held September 8, 2026 | City BCDC agendas; project updates page |
| Design and engagement complete | Fall 2027 | City project FAQ |
| Construction start | 2028, possibly in phases | City project FAQ |
| Construction start, alternate | "Could begin in late 2027" | Stan Knudson, City of Morris, to WCSJ |
Both start dates fall after design wraps up, so neither puts equipment on Liberty Street before late 2027. On the earlier schedule, nearly all of next year's downtown calendar happens on the street as it is today. On the FAQ's schedule, all of it does.
The open house date changed too. The July city column invited people to an August 11 session at City Hall. A later development commission agenda moved it to September 8, and the city's project page now lists September 8 as Community Open House #1. If you planned on August and never heard more, that's why.
The Parking Question Has Mostly Been Answered
Parking is the worry that usually comes up first when a downtown street gets redesigned. In this case the city studied it before the design started.
The downtown parking study counted nearly 1,900 spaces across 26 blocks and 74 acres. Wilkinson told WCSJ the overall supply is sufficient and the bigger issue is how it's managed. The city's Trails & Parking Action Plan reaches the same conclusion. It treats downtown parking as a signage and wayfinding problem, recommends overflow agreements and a scalable parking plan for festival days, and doesn't recommend building new parking.
Wilkinson described the signage problem with an example:
"You're not from the area, you don't know that the bomb lot is a private lot. You may not know that the city owns the lot across from KJ's. Adding signage to those things, some nice uniform branded signage that can show people public parking this way, and then this is the lot and it's two hours or eight hours."
Asked directly whether Liberty Street would lose parking, she said the city didn't plan to realign it and that the idea wasn't really on the table. The bump-outs might remove a few spaces. The study also found small pockets that could be reclaimed. One example is the yellow-striped area by the old fire department, kept clear for fire trucks that no longer need it, where she said three or four spaces could be added. Her estimate was "a net gain in the end."
None of this is final. Those comments came before the open house, and the WCSJ recap of the September session doesn't report a parking decision. Still, the starting point is clear. The city went into design with a study saying downtown has enough spaces, and a stated preference against changing the parking layout on Liberty.
Bikes Stay Off Liberty, With More Help Getting There
The same planning work connects the street project to a trail network. Wilkinson said the city doesn't necessarily want to change the ordinance that keeps bikes off Liberty Street. The approach is to get people to Liberty and then have them walk. That means bike racks and possibly repair stations, where riders can pump up a tire, placed before they reach the street.
The main route for those trips is a separate project funded by a state ITEP grant. The city's September 2025 request for engineering firms describes a 10-foot-wide asphalt shared-use path about 4,200 feet long. It would run from Park Boulevard and Edgewood Drive near the high school to Benton Avenue and Liberty Street, with work at the Wauponsee and Chapin intersection as well. That document targeted bid letting in late 2027 and construction starting in 2028. It expected engineering to start in March 2026, but no public source confirms that it did.
The path's end point is also the street being redesigned, and the two projects target the same construction window. If both schedules hold, the walking and biking route into downtown and the street it leads to would be rebuilt around the same time.
What the Open House Left Open
WCSJ reported that Terra Engineering used the September session to collect feedback on design features. The goal was to set priorities among needs raised by survey respondents, downtown event hosts, public safety leaders and property owners. WCSJ also mentioned three proposals posted on the city's website. None of the public reporting so far describes those proposals. As of early October, these questions don't have a published answer:
- Which intersections get bump-outs, and whether there are three or four
- Which of the three proposals, or what mix of them, moves forward
- How construction will be phased if funding arrives in stages
- How access, closures and festival weekends will be handled during construction
- What the nearly 800 survey responses ranked highest
The city's project page lists only the September 8 open house. The City Council agendas for September 21 and October 5 have no Liberty Street project action. The development commission's next meeting is October 27. Updates are posted at morrisdowntown.com and on the City of Morris and Visit Morris Facebook pages.
Storefronts Are Filling In Before the Street Changes
While design continues, Liberty Street's businesses keep changing. A July 2026 city license committee agenda included two Liberty Street applications. Shawneka Tillman's Souluxe, LLC, applied as a proposed restaurant at 410 Liberty Street. Crystal Doss's The Cozy Scoop Mercantile, LLC, applied as a retail gift shop and seasonal café at 809 Liberty Street. The Cozy Scoop's Grundy County Chamber listing mentions hand-dipped ice cream, coffee, cocoa and packaged bakery items. Souluxe's liquor license application is on the City Council agenda for October 5. Neither business has publicly confirmed an opening date.
Separately, WCSJ reported that the council approved a downtown TIF redevelopment agreement with JC Southmor Properties for a business expected to open "sometime in October." The report didn't name the business or give its address. These businesses are opening on the street as it is now. If construction holds to the city's schedule, they'll have at least a full year of business before any work begins outside their doors.
If you own near downtown and want to know how the Liberty Street timeline might affect your home's value, Christopher Piercy can put together a free valuation and local market plan that accounts for what's actually decided. Start with a home valuation, or browse the Morris neighborhood page for more on downtown.
