NORMAL – Taking the pulse of what residents of Normal want to see develop at the south end of Uptown was the focus of an online meeting organized by the Town of Normal and held remotely to see what ideas and concerns residents had for the area. Those surveyed, and a number of Illinois State University students who took part in the meeting stated a grocery in Uptown Normal would be desirable in order to head off that area of town keeping it from being considered a “food desert†where no groceries exist.
Town Planner Mercy Davison introduced the meeting saying details concerning June 28’s session would be posted to the Town website, www.normalil.org, as will details for two future in-person meetings. Doug Farr, founder of Chicago-based Farr Associates, and Olivia Grenzebach, a planner with the company, anchored Thursday’s 90-minute online meeting. In addition to the online session held Thursday, Davison added, two in-person meetings will be held with dates of those meetings to be announced.
Farr began by defining the borders for the area next on the list to be seeing improvements in the future. The area consists of 8.3 acres bordered to the north by railroad tracks, to the east by Linden St., to Irving St. to the south and Constitution Trail to the west. Farr said his organization conducted an online survey to gauge what residents felt was needed in Uptown
Farr officials indicated they are on track to submit final results of revitalization including costs by the end of the year after which construction would begin with completion of the final phase of construction anticipated to be completed by mid-December next year.
Among the elements those surveyed said for a renovated Uptown south to be successful included the need for more parking there. That was followed by what those surveyed saw as needs for wide sidewalks and pedestrian areas, bike lanes, landscaping, and outdoor dining.
Farr indicated the firm is aware that roughly 10 percent of the land in Uptown south is open space, and that the underpass will occupy 0.9 acres of the 8.3 acres in that area. He said Constitution Trail will continue through that area and Uptown Circle, provide tiered green space, and provide for gatherings and public events.
Farr said responses to the 30 question survey were topped off by a number of themes including: Fine grained spaces for walking and biking; Mixed land uses including housing; Accessibility to be able to drop off and pick up people, and parking; amenities such as a grocery store, Normal Library, food, and entertainment; and open space for public gatherings.
Farr suggested that the gathering space should be “walkable†and “car free.†He added housing “was an absolute winner as there is a market for it.†He added there seem to be a split between people who wanted a form of plaza for the space with another group expressing a desire for more open spaces in Uptown. He added a recommendation that any restaurants ought to be grouped together rather than spreading them throughout Uptown.
When asked to envision how they believe Uptown South will become in the future, 65.46 percent of those surveyed said they would like to see some form of mixed use, as opposed to any kind of residential structure; 38.80 percent said they would like to see the area used for primarily commercial use with some residential use; and 18.97 percent of those surveyed said they would like to see the space used for residential with some space for business use.
Survey respondents were asked what two specific types of business they believed would enhance quality of life by being placed in Uptown saw 41.03 percent favored a grocery store; 38.63 percent favored restaurants; 36.41 percent favored retail; and 22.05 percent opted for something categorized as “other.†Items under “other†ranged from coffee to cultural space to book store to pedestrian use areas.
Farr said he believed some of those who were surveyed were thinking beyond Uptown South when they answered questions. Those surveyed were quizzed concerning the size of stores they would like to see in the area if development is in the area’s future. A total of 63.49 percent of those surveyed said they desired buildings 30-60 feet in width, followed by 28.22 percent surveyed preferring buildings between 15 ft.-30 ft. in width, followed by buildings of 200 feet in width only drawing preference from 8.29 percent of those surveyed. A total of 86.48 percent of those surveyed said they would like to see cul-de-sacs connected to Constitution Trail while 13.52 percent of those asked about that said they opposed the idea.
Three Proposed Designs For Public Space – Cloister, Square, and Plaza: Farr said his group is proposing three possible designs for public space in Uptown South — Cloister, Square, and Plaza. Farr said the cloister design would have people strictly on foot, prohibiting people from using cars in order to travel through it. In the Square option, Farr said the park is surrounded by nearby streets and would have two crossings to Constitution Trail. Farr said this option would have both auto and pedestrian access. The third design Farr introduced was a plaza design. Farr admitted the plaza design was harder for people to immediately visualize. Farr said were the Plaza option to be chosen, the amount of green space would be less than in the other two options. He compared it pictures of green space in parks in Europe. He said the plaza option would have space for cars to drop off visitors in one corner of its design.
During discussion following presentation of the choices, Avery Spranger, a student at Illinois State University, reminded Farr and the Town representatives that comments in the survey about the University being in a food desert “are there for a reason,†reminding that students often go to CVS Pharmacy on Fell Avenue but primarily for snacks.
“People can’t walk two miles in the middle of their busy schedules to go get groceries,†she stated. She stated CVS “charges $7 for Oreos and that’s why a grocery is on the list†of improvements she would like to see when a finalized design is chosen. She said having a grocery close by in Uptown is why students made such a suggestion.
Patrick Walsh, student body president at ISU, tacked on a need for a grocery in Uptown because, as he explained from doing some research, CVS Pharmacy does not have a common distributor for food items like milk. Morgan Taylor, representing Jack Abraham, candidate for McLean County Board District 6, which includes ISU and Uptown South, read a statement from Abraham concerning the need for a grocery option in Uptown. “Uptown Normal has various shops and other establishments,†Abraham wrote. “But what is lacking is a viable option for residents looking to buy groceries. Having an affordable grocery store option in the Uptown area will give students and residents alike a practical way to groceries without having to organize carpool trips to other grocery stores in town or settle for the limited options that are in Uptown currently.
Abraham recalled the snowstorm experienced in February which forced ISU to close for a couple days. He said that left students with needing to stock up on food for a few days. “If students did not have access to transportation to groceries outside the area, they were forced into more expensive and less diverse options. We need a cost effective grocery store in the Uptown area…â€
Student Livi Sweich contributed suggesting creation of a community garden in the Uptown area. Doing so, she said, would help provide fresh vegetables which could be sold at the community pantry. Farr said some communities use underdeveloped or underutilized land parcels for just such uses. Farr said Normal has vacant spaces which could be considered to be used for just such purposes.
Another student, Braxton Myers, said he’s among a number of students who don’t stay in Normal because they believe the Town hasn’t the infrastructure to support students who don’t have cars. “If we want to keep students here, if we want to have students stay here throughout the entire process after they graduate, I think it kind of starts with the infrastructure and having the grocery stores and available access to these amenities.â€