Five-Points 2035

FIVE-POINTS 2035

A design strategy for the Five-Points neighborhood of Midtown Champaign, Illinois

Prepared by: Matthew Rejc

These design recommendations have been crafted for the purpose of creating a core area for the Midtown neighborhood of Champaign, Illinois through reinvigoration of the built environment. The Five-Points neighborhood, based at the pair of intersections where Locust, Chester, and Clark Streets meet at First Street, was chosen as the location for this hub due to its location proximate the Second Street Basin, pre-existing building stock, and unique urban form. Based on current issues, opportunities, and constraints, this document suggests a number of streetscape and intensification recommendations to be made over the next 20 years which will help this neighborhood transform into a growth nucleus for the future of Midtown. The recommendations stem from a series of goals and objectives, and are illustrated in a variety of formats.

Abstract

Table of ContentsRegional and Neighborhood Issues.............................Opportunities and Constraints.......................................Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Measures.............Infill Program and Plan......................................................Streetscape Program and Plan.......................................Streetscape Mid-Block Section.......................................Elevations...............................................................................Conclustions..........................................................................Works Cited............................................................................

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Regional and Neighborhood Issues

Parking Adjacent to First Street

Several parcels within the study area that are dedicated to parking immediately abut First Street. This situation privileges automotive travel and detracts from the pedestrian experience on which intensification would depend. The area immediately northeast of the intersection of Clark and First Street is one example.

Lack of Connection with the Second Street Basin

The Second Street Basin is relatively new, but the existing uses within the structures that abut the Basin have not taken serious steps toward leveraging its value. In time, outdoor seating for bars and restaurants will be the best use of the area immediately west of the basin.

Prevalence of Low-Activity Land Uses

With a plethora of light industrial and small -scale office uses, the neighborhood is often more of a place that people travel through rather than a destination that people would want to stay within. The present land use arrangement, and in particular a relative lack of residential, higher-intensity office, and commercial uses, is one culprit for this situation.

Aging Structures

Many of the buildings within the neighborhood are decades old and are showing their age. While a number of the structures have value from a historic preservation perspective, others will likely need to be replaced to accommodate an intensification of land uses.

Constraint: Small block size inhibits the provision of on-site parking for dense urban-style development. The use of off-site parking or parking structures are possibilities that could allow for intensification.

Constraint: Bailey Street, among several other streets in the neighborhood, is in poor condition and is uninviting to visitors on foot. Future investments on this street in particular could improve its appearance and establish it as a mixed automotive and pedestrian alley.

Constraint: Parking located immediately adjacent to streets and in front of structures creates a suburban ambiance. The placement of parking spaces behind buildings, along with the proper use of parking structures, could encourage pedestrian activity.

Opportunity: The triangular block offers an opportunity for design solutions that could add a unique character to the neighborhood. A distinctive flat-iron redevelopment concept would be an ideal landmark by which people could identify the neighborhood.

Opportunity: Existing public spaces and amenities encourage pedestrian activity and provide comfortable places for visitors to relax. Increased investment in streetside infrastructure and expansion of public spaces could encourage more people to stay in this neighborhood.

Opportunities and Constraints

Opportunity: The Second Street Basin acts as a visual and pedestrian amenity that can channel passers-by into the neighborhood and act as a scenic feature for onlookers. The Basin makes outdoor seating especially viable near its western edge.

GOAL

A self-reinforcing land use mix will support higher activity levels.

The Second Street Basin will be integrated with the neighborhood.

Historic structures will be preserved and complemented by infill development.

The neighborhood will be established as a distinct and attractive location within Champaign.

OBJECTIVE

Attract the development of residential, office, and commercial land uses to allow for the neighborhood to become a complete location where people live, shop, and work.

Increase use of the Basin by pedestrians and encourage nearby businesses to leverage it as a visual amenity.

Minimize the demolition of functional historic structures and reduce the number of underutilized lots through infill development.

Ensure that residents of Champaign are able to distinguish Midtown as a unique and desirable neighborhood.

STRATEGY

Adjust zoning regulations to ensure that commercial land uses, particularly restaurant and entertainment uses, take hold along the Basin. Designate the triangular block for mixed office and commercial redevelopment. Preserve the lots to the west of the triangular block for residential and commercial uses.

Use hybrid zoning codes to ensure that commercial uses take hold adjacent to the Basin and are incentivized to include outdoor seating that faces the Basin through bonuses. Install wayfinding and use marketing to guide pedestrians in campustown to the neighborhood through the Basin.

Preserve historic structures where appropriate through encouragement of rehabilitation and adaptive re-use. Incentivize denser development on underutilized or low-activity lots through zoning code updates, density bonuses, and appropriate infrastructure upgrades.

Market the neighborhood in promotional materials. Fund wayfinding infrastructure in other parts of Champaign and nearby parks directing pedestrians to the neighborhood. Use hybrid zoning codes to incentivize unique designs that can act as landmarks for the neighborhood. Fund a variety of streetscape improvements to boost pedestrian activity levels.

MEASURE

Land use type as compared to baseline survey; dwelling units per acre/FAR as compared to baselinedesign survey; food and beverage tax revenue as compared to baseline figures; number of office jobs compared to baseline figures

Pedestrian/bike counts compared to baseline figures; land use type as compared to baseline survey; food and beverage tax revenues as compared to baseline figures

Dwelling units per acre/FAR as compared to baselinedesign survey; number of buildings constructed prior to 1950 compared to baseline figures; rehabiliation grant award amounts compared to baseline figures

Survey results of Champaign residents regarding familiarity with the neighborhood; pedestrian/bike counts compared to baseline figures

Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Measures

Infill Program and Plan

Notes:• Some retail uses will be restaurants, but given

the expected volume of foot traffic, they were counted as retail for parking purposes.

• With the exception of Buildings 3 and 14, all mixed-use structures have retail uses on the ground floors and residential uses above. Buildings 3 and 14 have retail space on the ground floor and offices above it.

• New subdivision arrangements are expected to accommodate proposed development.

Map Designation Building Type Footprint Size (acres) Use FAR Existing/Proposed GFA (sq. ft.) Stories Lot Coverage New Parking Spaces Required New Spaces Provided1 Downtown Storefront 0.14 Mixed-Use 2 Proposed 12,196 2 272 Downtown Storefront 0.15 Mixed-Use 2 Proposed 13,068 2 293 Downtown Storefront 0.08 Mixed-Use 2 Expansion of .02 ac 6,968 2 80% 74 Downtown Storefront 0.22 Mixed-Use 2 Existing 19,166 2 90%5 Downtown Storefront 0.02 Retail 1 Existing 871 1 100%6 Downtown Storefront 0.02 Retail 0.25 Existing 871 1 25%7 Downtown Storefront 0.10 Mixed-Use 2 Existing 8,712 2 95%8 Downtown Storefront 0.16 Mixed-Use 1 Existing 13,938 2 50%9 Downtown Storefront 0.17 Mixed-Use 2 Proposed 14,810 2 34

10 Office 0.08 Office 1 Existing 3,485 1 95%11 Downtown Storefront 0.04 Retail 1 Existing 6,970 2 50%12 Downtown Storefront 0.06 Retail 2 Existing 10,454 2 75%13 Downtown Storefront 0.08 Mixed-Use 2 Proposed 6,968 2 1614 Office 0.30 Mixed-Use 3 Proposed 39,204 3 130P1 Surface Parking Lot 0.30 Parking 1 Proposed 13,068 N/A 37P2 Parking Facility 0.60 Parking 3 Proposed 78,408 3 224P3 Surface Parking Lot 0.10 Parking 1 Existing 4,160 N/A

OS1 Parklet 0.09 Public Open Space 1 Existing 3,920 N/AOS2 Parklet 0.05 Public Open Space 1 Proposed 2,288 N/A

Total 259,525 243 Spaces 261 Spaces

Streetscape Program and Plan

First Street Streetscape ProgramProposed Result: Commercial Avenue (C-5)Street Element (Map Designation) Proposed Enhancement JustificationSidewalk (1) Width extended to 9 ft Enhances pedestrian

comfort level and walkability

Streetside Infrastructure (2)

Historic-style downlighting; benches; trees; wayfinding

Enhances the possibility for nightlife and reduces light pollution; pedestrian infrastructure encourages walkability

Cycleway (3) Move on-street parking to the west side of First Street but to the east of the bike lane on that side; install Green Lanes

Encourages bike use by adding to the sense of safety

Brick Crosswalks (4) Replace painted crosswalks with 7ft wide brick crosswalks

Encourages pedestrian activity and acts as a traffic calming measure

On-Street Parking Lane (5)

Move to the opposite side of First Street

Supports the development of new ground floor businesses on the triangular block

Create/Improve Public Spaces (6)

Establish a parklet in the northern portion of the triangular block and reinvest in the existing one near the intersection of Chester and First Street

Enhances pedestrian comfort level and incentivizes pedestrians to linger in the area rather than pass through it

Road Resurfacing (7) Resurface First, Clark, Locust, and Bailey Streets

Helps to improve the experiences of all users

Activate the western edge of the Second Street Basin (8)

Modify zoning to promote restaurant and entertainment uses along the Basin; encourage outdoor seating

Facilitates commercial development and enhances customer experiences

StreetscapeMid-Block Section

Perspective: intersection of First and White Street, facing north

Dimensions were inspired by the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ guidelines for a C-5 Commercial Avenue.

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Elevations

West Side of First Street Elevation: Triangular block to the south is in front of two-story office, retail, and mixed-use buildings further to the west along Locust Street.

East Side of First Street Elevation: A proposed parking structure lies north of Clark Street and serves the two-story mixed-use structures along this side of First Street, among others.

0’ 50’25’Scale: 1” = 50’

0’ 50’25’Scale: 1” = 50’

Conclusions

Midtown Champaign as a whole is filled with potential, stemming from a unique history and urban form as well as a position be-tween two rapidly growing urban cores in Champaign. Growth is intended to begin at the Five-Points neighborhood and extend throughout the rest of Midtown. The steps laid out in this plan will ensure that a desir-able form of growth occurs in this neighbor-hood and then spreads outward. With proper development, this location can become one of Champaign’s foremost attractions, and in turn act as an economic engine that can drive further redevelopment.

Works Cited

Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach. Washington, DC: Institute of Transporta-tion Engineers, 2010. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.

All photographs on the Cover and Table of Contents are coutesy of Josh McCann

“Kilbourne Group Blog.” Kilbourne Group Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. <http://www.kilbournegroup.com/blog/?id=28>.

“Sports and Recreation: Facing Challenge, Having Fun.” Sports and Recreation: Facing Challenge, Having Fun. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. <http://www.mercedmuseum.org/exhibits/past/camera_club.shtml>.

“Nóló Store by Rasa Miliunaite & Egle Truskauskiene, Riga – Latvia » Retail Design Blog.” Retail Design Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. <http://retaildesignblog.net/2012/08/14/nolo-flagship-store-by-rasa-miliunaite-egle-trus-kauskiene-riga-latvia/>.

“College of Engineering.” College of Engineering. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. <https://www.purdue.edu/futu-reengineersblog/>.

Five-Points 2035

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