Champaign deputy city manager outlines 2023–25 council goals, highlights housing, downtown plaza and safety initiatives

Deputy City Manager Nancy presented an update Tuesday on the City of Champaign’s 2023–25 council goals, telling the City Council study session that staff have advanced projects on community safety, economic development, infrastructure and housing while preparing several studies and funding requests that will guide future action.

The report summarized 24 key projects tied to four council goals established Jan. 9, 2024: keep the community safe; invest in economic opportunity; build safe and sustainable infrastructure; and support vibrant, diverse neighborhoods. The presentation emphasized long-range planning intended to span multiple council terms for complex issues such as housing shortages, homelessness, and mental-health emergency response.

Under community safety, staff described work on the Community Gun Violence Response Blueprint, neighborhood outreach in areas affected by violence, and a pilot downtown community space called the BEAT. The city is developing a community safety and wellness program run by an interdepartmental committee and is drafting a mental-health emergency response model for council consideration in April.

On economic development, planning staff reported adoption of an Economic Development Manual in 2024 to guide incentives and agreements and said the city launched two competitive reimbursement programs for small and growing businesses. Nearly 100 businesses applied to those programs and 17 were selected; the transcript states "over $3,200 in reimbursements has been applied for" by participating businesses. The city also said it is working on a tax-increment financing (TIF) district for the Springfield and Mattis redevelopment area and pursuing redevelopment of the Country Fair Shopping Center and Round Barn sites.

Infrastructure highlights included a 10-year Capital Improvements Review Team allocation of $15,100,000 for asphalt street paving, concrete street patching and alley reconstruction, plus an allocation of $1,000,000 for traffic-signal equipment updates. The downtown plaza project’s phase 1 is expected to be mostly completed in May, with phase 2 supported by a $12,000,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO); council has approved engineering services for phase 2 and construction is expected to begin next year. Staff reported a separate $750,000 DCEO grant for preliminary design of the Veil Street corridor, with design completion expected in July.

On housing and neighborhood supports, staff said only 22 new homes were built in Champaign in the last year, the lowest number the presentation cited since the 1940s. The city plans a local housing needs study this year to compare unit shortages against household income data and to identify actions to bridge affordability gaps. Staff also described ongoing partnerships for outreach and shelter during cold weather, a recent point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness conducted Jan. 22, and efforts to expand wraparound services with local partners.

Other items noted: sidewalk construction and ADA ramp work planned near Westview School and other locations; corridor and bike-lane improvements; completed facility studies for fire stations and the police station; and work to hire a city architect to manage the city facilities portfolio.

Council members thanked staff for the memo and presentation and asked follow-up questions about specific properties and transit conversations to improve access to food and jobs. During the session, Deputy City Manager Nancy and department staff invited further technical questions and offered to provide additional details in staff reports.

The council did not take formal action beyond routine approvals at the study session; staff directed to continue implementation of the 2023–25 goals and to incorporate council feedback.