Lincoln Square Initiative

There is nothing more important to the success of downtown than the success of Lincoln Square. The largest property downtown, and a centerpiece of downtown’s retail activity, integration of the mall into the fabric of downtown, and enhancement of it as a retail attraction, is critical if the vision of this plan is to be attained.

Lincoln Square Mall and Urbana

Lincoln Square is not just a mall, it’s an Urbana institution.  Being one of the country’s first enclosed malls, it now offers nearly 40 years of history for Urbana.  Residents continue to demonstrate their desire to improve the mall and strengthen it as a viable shopping alternative to the more congested suburban shopping areas in Champaign.  On July 20, 2000 over 100 people attended a Town Hall meeting focused on the plan for downtown Urbana.  Most of the residents who spoke at the meeting offered their suggestions for Lincoln Square Mall including more retail, entertainment and events. The comments and suggestions offered at the meeting showed how much residents care about the mall and want to see it succeed and also that they view the mall as more of a community center rather than strictly a retail center.  The unique disposition of Lincoln Square given its location and history helps create this feeling of a community center.

Linking to the Vision

Lincoln Square Mall is privately owned and the owners are free, within the limits of zoning and any other covenants, to address a host of directions. However the success of downtown, and most likely, the success of the mall, requires the owners to join with other downtown property owners to address the vision of this plan. That vision is to create a strong distinction from other shopping areas in the region and strive to create a niche for downtown Urbana.  The vision is also focused upon making downtown Urbana a people place with an “urban feel” that is a center for the community. It is this vision that is typically missing from newly developing suburban marketplaces.

Lincoln Square Mall owners could address this vision by developing plans that cost-effectively address internal and external physical improvements that would “update” the mall and would better establish a linkage with the rest of downtown. Specifically, its plans should address:

1. How to establish a better physical relationship between the north side of the mall and Main Street.
2. How to make the mall more transparent by opening up its north, south and east sides to make the inside of the mall feel like a continuation of the downtown.
3. How to better take advantage of the placement of directory signage.
4. Also, it might choose to investigate the economics of a public market or some other approach that would help to bring the community into the mall.

There is good reason for the City and mall ownership to continue to work together to identify what can best be done to make the mall an even greater asset for its ownership and for downtown. Considering or testing ideas like those outlined in this plan, together with continuing to work towards attracting new investments through local and regional marketing initiatives could help Lincoln Square emerge as a more viable component of downtown.

Community Retail Center

Previous leasing efforts that have focused solely on national tenants have not been successful.  Given this experience it is evident that the most practical composition of the mall is a mix of both national and local uses.  Currently, some of the most successful tenants within the mall are local businesses such as Art Mart and International Galleries.  The opportunity for the mall to fulfill its potential as a viable community, retail center will continue to rely on a creative mix of uses.

Along with the retail component of the mall, Lincoln Square in many respects serves as a community center for Urbana and the surrounding area.  Many residents regularly visit the mall to attend events such as toy exhibitions, antique shows, health fairs, holiday events and much more.  Programmed events at the mall continue to be successful and generate foot traffic that result in increased sales for the retail stores.  These events and exhibitions should continue and be increased throughout the year in order to keep Lincoln Square Mall as an active part of downtown.

Public Market

The idea of a Public Market as described in the Niche Market Initiative on page 51-52 should be considered within Lincoln Square Mall.  One of the most successful events for all of downtown Urbana is the Farmer’s Market which operates in the mall parking lot every Saturday morning from May to November.  The Farmer’s Market brings thousands of people out in search of fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and homemade arts and crafts. Many market patrons and vendors alike have indicated a desire for more indoor market opportunities during winter months and perhaps on weekdays.   The location, design and function of Lincoln Square Mall creates an opportunity to accommodate a public market of some determined scale and function.  Offering market goods and other food and dining opportunities within the mall is also consistent with the goals of this plan to create a food and entertainment niche for downtown.

The idea of a public market in Lincoln Square Mall can range from a small number of kiosk vendors in the main corridors or with leased space within available space in the mall.  A likely concentration of public market type of activities would be near the existing food court area where visitors would enter from either Green Street to the west or Broadway Avenue to the north.  Figure 30 illustrates how physical improvements to the mall coupled with the presence of public market uses would create an inviting atmosphere to the mall and potentially attract shoppers multiple times a week.