Center of Urbana Initiative

Downtown Urbana still retains some hold on the public mind: Figure 25, Where is the Center of Town?, shows that Main Street is still seen as the center of town by a great number of residents.  As long as the downtown continues to be viewed as the locus of community events – parades, meetings, community fairs, dedications, etc. – then downtown will be viewed as the City center. This role attracts people downtown and provides a marketing opportunity. But even this opportunity can be lost or wasted if not pursued. Attention must be given to the continued location of community destinations and community events downtown. The policy must be: If there is an Urbana public facility or activity that attracts people, put it downtown. The retention of the County Courthouse downtown is an example of this policy. More is needed. A fivefold program is suggested:

The “Locate Downtown” Program

The key step is proactive implementation of a “locate downtown” policy, which should be adopted by the public and private sectors, and made part of all downtown marketing efforts. Currently, downtown is host to most of the key public services – City Hall, library, courts, and postal service. It is also host to a number of community festivals – the Market at the Square, Sweet Corn Festival, etc. It is important that these services and festivals continue downtown and be marketed to attract more users. Some, such as the Market at the Square, should be investigated for expansion, perhaps into a longer season, and one that sells crafts as well as food beyond the growing seasons.

This policy could be further enhanced by the establishment of a grant, loan, or other financing program that helps new businesses locate in downtown Urbana.

Encourage more Public Art Downtown

The presence of public art helps creates a niche for downtown and can beautify the are and attract new visitors. The newly organized Champaign County Arts Council should be encouraged to promote downtown Urbana as a new opportunity to display public art. Opportunities to help achieve this goal could include:

1. Encourage more gallery uses in existing and newly developing areas of downtown
2. Promote public art in downtown open spaces
3. Public murals where appropriate
4. Develop public art themes for downtown corridor entryways
5. Encourage and Accommodate Community Events

The maintenance and growth of downtown events could be enhanced through aggressive outreach, management, and provision of proper space. Such actions could complement what is already underway. For example, the Urbana Business Association (UBA) in conjunction with the Park District and the city sponsors Friday Night Street Dances on Race and Elm Streets on Friday nights in the summer. However, the calendar of events is not large enough. It should be increased such that something occurs at least once a month. Consideration should also be given to encouraging greater use of Lincoln Square Mall for community events. Additional ideas could include:

1. Winter ice sculpture competition
2. Memorial Day, Fourth of July or Labor Day Parades
3. Downtown winter lighting festival
4. Community garage sale
5. Spring garden show and plant sale

Encourage and Accommodate Community Events

The maintenance and growth of downtown events could be enhanced through aggressive outreach, management, and provision of proper space. Such actions could complement what is already underway. For example, the Urbana Business Association (UBA) in conjunction with the Park District and the city sponsors Friday Night Street Dances on Race and Elm Streets on Friday nights in the summer. However, the calendar of events is not large enough. It should be increased such that something occurs at least once a month. Consideration should also be given to encouraging greater use of Lincoln Square Mall for community events. Additional ideas could include:

1. Winter ice sculpture competition
2. Memorial Day, Fourth of July or Labor Day Parades
3. Downtown winter lighting festival
4. Community garage sale
5. Spring garden show and plant sale

Grow the Market at the Square

Consideration should be given to improving accommodations for the Market at the Square, especially if it can be expanded beyond its present operating period. These can range from simple actions of coordination to significant investments. Consider the following:

1. The current hours of operation of the Market at the Square do not correspond to the present Saturday hours of Lincoln Square, which, while not the host of the market, certainly could benefit from potential synergies. Such coordination could help grow the Market at the Square and increase use of Lincoln Square.
2. Lincoln Square could work with the market manager to attract a larger collection of vendors, including crafts and specialty food vendors, who could operate expanded hours or days throughout the year. The mall management could consider using inside concourse space for this market during the late fall, winter and early spring periods.
3. The City, as owner of the parking lots where the market occurs, should review parking layout and the location of the market with an eye toward improving site layout and, perhaps, establishing a temporary canopy system that might extend the period of market operations. This assumes that vendors would be available if the season was extended, perhaps for one month at both the beginning and end.
4. Current established businesses such as food, crafts, antiques, and clothing that have fixed site businesses in other areas of the region should be approached regarding the establishment of vendor stalls at the market during operation times. This would allow them to expand sales and contacts, learn about the Urbana market, and perhaps consider a second location within downtown Urbana.

Provide Community Outdoor Space

Improving outdoor space is another important action. If downtown is the center of Urbana, places must be available to host dedicatory or community gatherings, establish settings for community monuments, and play host to group events that wish to commemorate a special occasion by having it occur in a setting with a positive community image. Currently, there are no adequate spaces for such outdoor celebratory public gatherings downtown. To this end, community squares or plazas should be established within the downtown that will help give the downtown focus as well as fulfill these purposes. These spaces need not be very large. Rather, it should create an inviting place to sit, and should be located at a busy place. It should be of a size so that it will look crowded when small events occur so that it adds to the sense of interest and excitement downtown. Perhaps one, Post Office Square, might be located in front of the Post Office and Lincoln Square, and be of a size large enough to host a small celebratory event. Figure 26, Public Gathering Space, shows how Post Office Square might look.

Establish a Community Performance Venue

While recognizing that the University is the dominant provider of performance venues, opportunities should be found to either upgrade the Civic Center or establish space within Lincoln Square or Jumer’s Hotel for a small performance venue which might accommodate local performers, children’s presentations and theater, or repertory theater. This facility could be leased and managed by the City. As an alternative, existing community performance groups might band together as an “arts association” for the purpose of leasing, furbishing and managing the space.

Keep the Post Office Downtown

One of the greatest assets of downtown Urbana is the availability of services. The close proximity of personal services ensures that downtown visitors, residents and workers have the ability to complete a variety of errands all within a relatively short distance. Without a doubt one of the greatest available services in downtown Urbana is the post office. Many Urbana residents find the downtown post office most convenient for their postal needs. It is for this reason that Urbana has traditionally felt very strongly about keeping the presence of the post office downtown.

The current location of the post office facility is in question as the building is listed on the retail market. The ultimate sale of the building could result in the post office either staying at its current location or moving to another site. Regardless of the ultimate outcome of this transaction, the fact remains that the presence of a postal facility in downtown Urbana is crucial to the overall vision of this plan which is to in part create a “busy” downtown serving the community. Should the current post office building be sold under the terms that the post office facility relocate, every effort should be made to keep the facility in downtown.

One of the keys to a successful post office operation downtown is the availability of parking. Short term parking is crucial as individuals need to quickly stop and send packages or pick-up mail. At the current post office location, there are 13 public meter spaces immediately outside the post office building which is very popular with patrons to the facility. The public parking deck is also located in very close proximity. Although this plan illustrates the concept of a public plaza at this location, the current parking availability should be preserved as long as the post office facility remains at its current location. Should the post office eventually relocate to a new facility in the downtown, the concept of the public plaza should be considered in conjunction with the reuse of the post office building. The availability of parking should also be seriously considered for any possible new post office facility location.