PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Former Peoria mayor Richard Carver passed away in his Florida home at the age of 85.

Carver was mayor from 1973 to 1984. During that time, he implemented an urban renewal plan that lead to Southtown, Campustown, the Peoria Civic Center, and the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria.

The Peoria Civic Center’s Carver Arena is named after him.

He is survived by four children, nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.