Campustown (Champaign, Illinois)
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Campustown University District |
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| District | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Champaign County |
| City | Champaign |
| Established | 1920s |
| Named for | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Campus |
| City Council District | 1, 2 |
| Government | |
| • City Council Member | Will Kyles, Michael La Due |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 61820 |
| Area code(s) | 217 |
| Website | champaigncenter.com |
Campustown is an area within the 1st and 2nd City Council Districts in Champaign, Illinois. Centered on Green Street, the district contains about eight city blocks occupied by various small businesses, restaurants, bars, and apartment buildings which mostly house university students. Campustown is located along the west side of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus.
Notable landmarks include the Alma Mater, The Tower at Third, the 309 Green high-rise, KAM's, Legend's Bar & Grill, and Murphy's Pub.
In 1995, then University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Provost Michael Aiken constructed a planning committee, referred to as the Campustown 2000 Task Force, in an effort to revitalize the deteriorating infrastructure in the campustown district. As the committee's chairperson, Aiken hoped to transform the district into a safer, more inviting area for university students and visitors. The committee was composed of representatives from the cities of Champaign, its twin city Urbana, the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, the C-U Economic Partnership, land and business owners within campustown, and UIUC.
Since the creation of the district, campustown's main thoroughfare, East Green Street, carried four lanes of vehicular traffic, despite serving a mostly pedestrian-based commercial district for the university. Campustown's deteriorating infrastructure was highlighted when a student was killed by vehicular traffic and during the 2002 NFL season when the Chicago Bears played their home games at Memorial Stadium during the renovation of Soldier Field.
The Campustown 2000 Task Force was instrumental in moving the development of Green Street and the rest of Campustown. This group initiated two efforts, the Campus Area Transformation Study (CATS) and the Campustown Action Plan, that outlined important changes that needed to be made in order to create a safer and more welcoming environment for students and others visiting the location. Coupled with the Campustown Existing Conditions Report, created by the City of Champaign Planning Department between 1996 and 1998, the Champaign City Council was able to approve plans for a seven million dollar project, which was completed in 2003. Green Street was reconstructed from Wright to Fourth Streets and various safety features were added such as new street-lights, railings, large planters, and proper signage. Campustown's speed limit was also reduced to 25 mph (40 km/h) and Green Street was reduced to three lanes of traffic, with the middle lane enabling turn and business deliveries, due to a lack of alleyways. To facilitate the construction of a new Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District bus stop, Wright Street was converted to a pedestrian mall allowing bus access only between Chalmers and John Streets. Since the creation of the Transit Plaza, it has become the largest bus stop in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area.
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