Champaign City Council to vote on downtown plaza revamp details

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The Champaign City Council is keeping things moving with the downtown plaza project.

In May, they approved the plan , and on Tuesday night, the city council will vote on the details of phase one for the project.

By this time next year, downtown Champaign will look very different. A new downtown plaza will take over the area of north Neil Street between Main and Washington Streets.

“I think it’s an excellent opportunity for citizens to really come enjoy our downtown area. Great investment,” said community member Sean Williams.

The project will consist of two phases. The first one will bring in bench swings, a stage for entertainment, and more. But Civil Engineer David Happ said the city still needs two things squared away.

“The first is we want to get a contractor on board. And then the second thing we want to do is get a consultant on board.”

Williams is a regular at many of the downtown businesses and is ready for the area for to be revamped.

“You know, bringing in outside entertainment is going to be excellent,” he said. “I mean, we’re enjoying The Beat , we’re enjoying all the other different ideas that the City of Champaign has for us right now. And I think it’s just an added benefit.”

But the logistics of the plaza project did raise some concerns — especially for downtown restaurants.

“We met with the business owners and we really got the impression they would love to keep that space open as long as possible,” Happ said.

He said to lessen the impact on those businesses, the plan is to delay work in the outdoor dining area in front of Big Grove Tavern until Sept. 15. The city is also trying to add a temporary outdoor dining spot on Main Street once the work starts.

Happ said the plan has been in the works for about 18 years now, and people like Williams think it’ll be worth the wait.

“The creative ideas that engineering is doing, I think it’s a great opportunity for our city and I think it’s great for the businesses,” Williams said.

Happ said the goal is to start phase one of construction in about two weeks. That will cost about $3.2 million. Phase two will focus on the parking lot area and will cost about $12 million.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.