Urbana staff propose replacing Elm Street brick sidewalks with concrete; commissioners and residents press for Section 106 input

City staff presented preliminary plans for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)–funded replacement of the brick sidewalks along East Elm Street and portions of South Urbana Avenue, telling the Urbana Historic Preservation Commission the work would replace existing brick pathways with 6-inch Portland cement concrete to improve accessibility and sidewalk width.

The staff memo said the project is subject to Section 106 review under a 2021 programmatic agreement (PA) the city holds with the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office (SHIPO) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. That PA authorizes a qualified professional on staff to administer Section 106 for certain HUD-funded projects; the city’s grant specialist, Eric McCann, said he is preparing the environmental and cultural-resources materials and has asked the commission for comments to share with SHIPO by April 6 (with an April 12 cutoff also discussed).

Why it matters: the Elm Street bricks are an older streetscape feature and could be a contributing element in a potential historic district. McCann described the bricks as predominantly herringbone-pattern, installed on a sand base, with visible color variation but no maker stamps; staff concluded the sidewalks were unlikely to qualify for individual National Register listing but could contribute to a district depending on the condition and integrity of nearby buildings.

Commission discussion focused on design trade-offs, legal and procedural limits for the city, and neighborhood outreach. Commissioners and residents asked for more specifics on where curbs, gutters and accessibility ramps would be added, and noted that much of the brick on South Urbana Avenue is overgrown and only one side is visible. Staff said curb-and-gutter work would generally be at intersections to provide accessible corner cuts; the rest of the block would receive new concrete sidewalk without full curb construction.

Several speakers urged more active engagement with the Historic East Urbana Neighborhood Association (HUNA). Dennis Roberts, who identified himself as a neighborhood resident and association member, said a 2002 ordinance previously mapped certain streets as 'major brick sidewalks' and asked that staff confirm whether Elm Street was included and that the neighborhood be notified. He also urged the commission to be looped into project communications. Staff replied that their initial review showed the Elm Street blocks were not categorized as major brick blocks in the ordinance and that property owners abutting the project had submitted letters of support to date; staff committed to follow up with Public Works about prior public outreach.

Design concerns raised included likely impacts to tree roots when replacing the sidewalk base and suggestions to consider minor alignment shifts within existing easements to avoid cutting large roots. Commissioners asked how SHIPO applies criteria for significance when maker stamps are absent and whether the brick sidewalks could be considered a cultural landscape or contributing resource.

Next steps: staff said they would compile commission comments, photographs and any supplemental material into a PDF and transmit them to SHIPO as part of the Section 106 consultation. Commissioners were asked to provide comments by the April 6 deadline to ensure timely consideration by SHIPO. The commission did not take a formal vote on a recommendation at the meeting.

Sources: presentation and remarks by city staff and grant specialist Eric McCann; resident comments from Dennis Roberts and others during the commission meeting.