Downtown Champaign restaurant concerned about impact of construction for new plaza

Jana Wiersema, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
·3 min read
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May 24—CHAMPAIGN — According to general manager Scott McIntosh, Big Grove Tavern's "primary cash flow" in the summer months comes from private events and use of its patio, with the latter accounting for about 40 percent of cash flow each week.

With that in mind, he's asking that the city of Champaign delay construction on Phase 1 of its downtown plaza project, which is slated to begin this summer. The work includes renovation of the One Main Plaza, which is where the restaurant's outdoor seating is located.

"Our ask is that you look to push this project back to a little bit cooler weather months, which does not affect our ability to serve our communities, to seat the 160 seats that we have outside and keep our people employed, enable us to pay our bills," McIntosh told the Champaign City Council at its Tuesday meeting.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday night to accept a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for $12 million to fund Phase 2 of the downtown plaza project.

"We're just in the early stages of design for Phase 2," said Bruce Knight, the city's planning and development director. "Phase 1 was scheduled to start in the middle of July, as Mr. McIntosh indicated. We've got a meeting with them Friday to talk through the schedule and the options for how we can manage that. So we're going to try and work through that with them."

He added that decisions made around Phase 1 construction will have implications for the Phase 2 schedule.

According to Daniel Saphiere, an associate planner with the city, construction on Phase 2 is estimated to begin in 2026, with a tentative completion date in 2027.

City officials have estimated that Phase 1 construction will begin this summer and be completed sometime in 2025.

"This phase of the project encompasses the existing One Main Plaza with a slight expansion northward," officials said. "It will install a performance stage equipped with power and wiring for sound and lighting equipment. These improvements will better accommodate live events like Friday Night Live and the Parade of Lights, and the 'plug-n-play' capability of the stage facilitates its use and reduces the number of logistical tasks associated with events in downtown."

Plans also include landscaping, new planters with seating, and bench swings.

Saphiere wrote in a report to council that the Neil Street Plaza Placemaking Plan included various opportunities for community input.

He added that city staff are aware that construction will affect local businesses and are in talks with them about how they can "coordinate construction to minimize its impacts."

"This is transformative for downtown, and the end result is going to be something that continues to help our downtown be viable into the future," Mayor Deb Feinen said. "And there will be short-term pain associated with that, and we will all work together to try to alleviate that as much as possible."