Where is Midtown?  The Midtown District is the tag placed on the commercial corridors of First Street between Springfield Avenue and Washington Street, and University Avenue between the viaduct and Third Street.  As there are no precisely defined borders, the district encompasses the surrounding blocks including the Boneyard Second Street Basin, the Boneyard Greenway, and the Burnham District (Third & Springfield).  (Map)  The reason this area is important is its strategic location between Downtown Champaign and Campustown.  The City of Champaign and the new Champaign Center Partnership have identified the Midtown District as a critical area to unify the urban core of Champaign. 

The district has seen better days, but is currently emerging as a new target area for redevelopment and gentrification.  Previously considered to be too far from campus to attract students and university oriented retailers, the gradual revitalization of Downtown has now made Midtown attractive to older students, young professionals, unique restaurants, and local retailers.  The inventory of commercial buildings in the district and the recent beautification of the Boneyard Creek combine to make the area prime for investment and redevelopment.

My take on the district is that it could go one of two ways.  One, the City could offer financial incentives tied to development standards and requirements that force property owners and businesses to take the district in a direction dictated by planning staff.  The result would be a few overbuilt developments surrounded by blighted property, high rents dictated by construction costs not by demand, and unsustainable vacancy rates…not a pretty picture.  Two, the City could help direct redevelopment rather than dictating it, and let market forces, businesses, and property owners shape the future of the district.  This takes more time but is much more effective and sustainable long term.

My feedback to planning staff will be to provide some direction in terms of land use patterns and zoning, and let demand for retail and rental housing dictate the speed and quality of the redevelopments.  I envision an increased density of retail, office, and restaurant space along First Street, University Avenue, and Chester Street with remodeled apartments on the upper floors those buildings.  I also think that the new basin is attractive enough to increase the demand for traditional apartments along Second and Third Streets, between Springfield and University Avenues.  Increased demand will spur more redevelopment and renovations for those buildings, increasing rental rates and thus property values.  By far the toughest part of the district to redevelop will be the area west of First Street and east of the railroad tracks.  Currently, those blocks are dominated by service-related and industrial business, including contractors and automotive shops.  Again, some simple re-zoning that would allow those businesses to continue operating while providing future alternative land uses is the best plan of action.

So my fellow residents, what would you like to see in Midtown?  How should the City work with property owners and encourage investment/redevelopment?  The City is taking a proactive approach by holding an open house at Second & Springfield on Tuesday May 24^th from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM.  In the event of severe weather, the open house will be moved to Minneci’s (First & Springfield).  The City of Champaign’s planning staff will be on hand to gather input from residents and to share their vision.  I plan on attending the meeting and will share ideas from Halfway Interesting readers if you feel inclined to post your thoughts and comments.

Here are some additional resources if you would like to explore this topic further:

East University Avenue TIF plan : shows details and history about the Midtown District and city incentives.

Champaign Center Partnership : all you wanted to know about Midtown including a map and calendar of events.

Matt Wavering is a commercial real estate professional with Coldwell Banker Commercial Devonshire Realty.  He can be reached at mjw@cbcdr.com or 217-352-7712.