What’s being built in downtown Wood River?

Downtown Wood River has new apartments finished on First Street, a city center park under construction and a list of businesses that are open, in redevelopment or announced. The activity is spread across the city’s older commercial district, much of it inside existing brick buildings.

Most of the work is private investment in buildings that were already standing. Several projects pair ground-floor businesses with apartments upstairs, which adds residents within walking distance of downtown shops and restaurants.

Key details

• Location: downtown Wood River, including Ferguson Avenue and First Street
• Finished: Flats on First apartments on First Street
• Under construction: a city center park, with Pfund Construction doing the work
• In redevelopment: a downtown building being converted to a restaurant and bar with apartments upstairs
• Announced: Jewel Ice Cream Co., with a banner listing a spring 2027 opening
• Planned: Source Juicery in the former C&B Bagels location, opening date not announced
• Incentives: Tax Increment Financing used for selected projects, according to the developer document

What’s already open in downtown Wood River?

Downtown’s buildings along Ferguson Avenue are mostly two-story brick storefronts, with the city’s water tower visible over the district. The area is compact enough to cover on foot in an afternoon.

Two independent coffee shops sit across the street from each other. West End has its own courtyard. Roasters Coffee House occupies what the developer document says was a former neighborhood tavern, and the document says Roasters is part of a group of projects by a downtown entrepreneur that also includes the corporate headquarters for Heaterz Chicken.

Other businesses operating downtown include:

• True North Boutique and Med Spa
• Cannaisseur, a cannabis dispensary the developer document describes as one of the largest new commercial investments in the district
• Riverbend Bounce, a family entertainment business
• A tattoo parlor
• Locally owned shops and professional offices

A storefront for a business called Filmhaus appeared complete during the visit. 

Foot traffic was steady along the main street on the day of the visit, and several people stopped to talk while drone and gimbal footage was being filmed.

What’s under construction?

The Flats on First apartments on First Street are finished, adding housing a short walk from the downtown businesses. Unit count and rents were not available.

In the center of downtown, a new city center park is under construction. Pfund Construction is handling the work, and a rendering of the finished park is posted on a sign at the site. 

Pfund Construction is also part of the downtown story in another way. According to the developer document, the commercial builder established operations in downtown Wood River over the past few years, a move the document calls one of the city’s most significant economic development wins in that period.

Which projects are in the works?

A local couple redeveloping one downtown building showed 618 Homes the interior, which is being rebuilt. The couple said the finished building will have a restaurant and bar on the ground floor with apartments upstairs. Asked why they chose Wood River, they said they believe in the town’s future and in the people working to rebuild it. 

The developer document lists several other projects as underway or recently completed. Their current status was not confirmed on site:

• Bootleggin’ Tavern at 203 E. Ferguson Avenue, being converted by a group of local developers into a Prohibition-themed restaurant and entertainment venue
• The former Edel Coin Shop, being redeveloped by the Wood River Business Alliance with support from a private donation
• Rustic Roots Event Center, renovated and repositioned as a wedding and event venue under new ownership
• Venecia’s Pizza, in the former Kumar’s Diner location

Two more businesses have been announced. Source Juicery, a juice bar, is moving into the former C&B Bagels location, according to the developer document. A banner on another downtown building announces Jewel Ice Cream Co., with an opening listed for spring 2027.

Which longtime businesses are still downtown?

The developer document points to several established businesses that have stayed through earlier years:

• Cleary’s Shoes, which the document says has been on Main Street for generations
• Burger Bar, described in the document as one of Wood River’s best-known restaurants
• Tomerlin CPA
• Cafe LaNae

What’s driving the redevelopment?

According to the developer document, the city has used Tax Increment Financing selectively for specific projects, including building rehabilitations, mixed-use projects and adaptive reuse of vacant properties, rather than spreading incentives broadly. The document credits consistent city management and a city council it describes as aligned on redevelopment over the past four years with giving investors confidence that long-term agreements will be honored.

The document also describes the police department’s community-oriented approach as a cornerstone of the effort, on the reasoning that businesses and customers need to feel comfortable spending time downtown.

City quality-of-life projects listed in the document include:

• A downtown dog park on donated land
• A walking trail around the police department campus
• Streetscape and beautification improvements
• New public gathering spaces and park enhancements

The Wood River Business Alliance is described in the document as a coordinator between business owners, property owners, civic groups and City Hall.

What happens next?

The city center park remains under construction with no posted completion date. Jewel Ice Cream Co.’s banner lists a spring 2027 opening. Source Juicery has not announced an opening date, and timelines for the couple’s restaurant and apartment building, Bootleggin’ Tavern, the Edel Coin Shop redevelopment and Venecia’s Pizza were not stated in the available sources.