CHAMPAIGN — Downtown business owners are concerned about how a plan to close part of Market Street for several months will affect them.
“I'm really excited that they're doing something,” said Adrian Astorina, owner of Live Action Games, 111 N. Market St. week. “
The closure is part of city officials' proposal to create the Market Street Entertainment District between Main Street and University Avenue.
The district will offer live entertainment, food trucks and a venue for special events, said TJ Blakeman, the city's senior economic development planner.
The plan calls for the south block of the market from Taylor Street to the university to be completely closed from Memorial Day weekend through October to make room for outdoor dining. If successful, the change could become permanent throughout the year.
Live Action Games is located within a block on the south side of this street.
Blakeman said similar closures were made to provide space for outdoor dining and social distancing during the pandemic.
“This was actually a great test run for us to make sure deliveries can still happen, people can still go to businesses, etc.,” he said.
In addition, the northern block of the market from Main to Taylor is proposed to be closed from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning during the same multi-month period, Blakeman said. The closure will create space for food trucks and dining areas.
The Champaign City Council voted Tuesday to approve a contract with Urbana-based Gresco Electric Co. for design and construction services for the entertainment district. It also approved the allocation of $700,000 from the Downtown Area Tax Increment Financing District for costs.
Mr. Astorina was unable to attend the meeting, so his client and friend Trevor Adamo spoke on his behalf during public comment.
“We are never opposed to projects that are intended to encourage arts and culture downtown,” Adamo said. “And while the goals of the entertainment pilot project are very positive, given the details, our stores are having a bit of a challenge making it happen.”
He added that when Market Street was closed in 2020 during the pandemic, the lack of vehicle access negatively impacted live-action gaming, which is “heavily reliant on trade-ins.”
Adamo said customers “would appreciate it if they could somehow access the store by car, even on weekdays.”
Blakeman said the city spoke with Astrina and other businesses early in the process and will reach out again to address his concerns.
He added that the city has solutions in mind for drop-off and loading zones similar to its approach to the pandemic.
“We had an agreement to add some new loading zone space where we were closing, so people would be as close as they are to the store today.” said Blakeman. “There are three parking spaces that will be lost in that section. But as I said, we're keeping Taylor Street open so that it doesn't impact the parking spaces around the corner.”
He added that Live Action Games said customers often park elsewhere because there are only a few spaces in front of the store.
Bruce Knight, the city's director of planning and development, said in a previous interview that one of the reasons the north block was kept open most of the week was to accommodate loading and other needs from nearby businesses. said.
Blakeman said the city is in ongoing discussions with businesses about the project and is taking their concerns into consideration when designing the plan.
Companies are proposing minor changes, but the response has been “incredibly positive,” he said.
“This is an evolving plan and strategy, and the situation changes weekly,” Blakeman added. “So, we are focused on our launch date at the end of May and things are going very well. But I want to stress again that companies should contact us with concerns. If it comes, we're certainly going to incorporate them into our plans, but I mean we're excited about what this street is going to look like and how we're going to bring people to Market Street. I will guide you.”
The Market Street changes are part of a larger project known as the Downtown Entertainment District Pilot Project, which also includes a grant program to improve access to live entertainment downtown.
Blakeman said the project is being called a pilot because the city is looking at it as a one-year test case with plans to continue making changes if successful.
