At its meeting at 7 p.m., the Urbana Historic Preservation Commission heard a presentation from Adeline Evans, the CLG grant intern, on a redesigned website and interactive web map intended to consolidate historic-preservation information and mapping in a single interface.

The site compiles the “100 most significant buildings,” locally registered and nationally registered landmarks, historic district boundaries, historic and current photography, and links (where available) to ordinances and related podcasts. Evans said features include mobile-friendly mapping with an option for users to display their location and search for sites while touring downtown; she also said the site’s colors were adjusted for ADA color-contrast accessibility.

The project was funded by a Certified Local Government grant; commissioners and staff said the updated interface is meant to restore material that was not carried over when the city launched a new website. Kevin, the city staff liaison, said the commission will be emailed a preview link for review and asked members to provide feedback while Evans remains with the project.

Evans, who identified herself as a University of Illinois architecture student working as the CLG grant intern, said she photographed sites over the school year and this summer to verify current conditions, and that some sites previously listed no longer exist or have had additions or removals. She described the combination of previously available material and new research: “All of the maps for users who are on their phones, have the option to see their own location on the map and to also search them as well if they are wanting to,” Evans said.

Commission discussion focused on how to represent the Royer Arts and Architectural District on the site. One commission member who said they helped create the district while on the city council urged that the Royer brochure and district information be included on the website and suggested the commission consider formally adopting the district into its work. Commissioners noted that the term “district” can carry legal meaning under CLG rules and that a study session would be appropriate to determine whether and how the commission should treat the Royer designation.

Evans said podcast links are available for some sites but that the podcast map feature had “a few bugs” and was not fully functional; she requested commissioners forward any corrections. She said she began mid-June and has worked roughly 34 hours per week over the summer; during the academic year she worked about 5–10 hours per week photographing and researching sites. Staff estimated the site could go live about a month after commissioners’ review, though no formal launch date or formal action was set.

No formal motions or votes were taken on the website or district adoption at the meeting. Next steps recorded in the discussion included staff circulating the preview link, commissioners reviewing and returning feedback within the coming weeks, and scheduling a study session to discuss the Royer Arts and Architectural District and any possible landmarking or multi-property district work.

The commission praised the accessibility and photographic work and thanked Evans for the internship work.