A lot going forward in Champaign

Staff writer NATALIE WICKMAN hitched a ride with Champaign city officials and council members this week on a bus tour showing progress of ongoing capital improvements. Here's what she learned about four of them.

CARLE AT THE FIELDS

Cost to city: None.

Due date: Early 2018 for the Carle and Health Alliance office building and the new Fields South Drive, which will connect Curtis and Windsor roads; sometime in 2018 for the Hampton Inn and Ambulatory Surgery Center.

Carle Foundation Hospital's new campus — located in the northwest quadrant of the Curtis Road interchange — will be anchored by a 300,000-square-foot office building for 1,400 employees. Surrounding it will be new medical buildings and a commercial center.

The city's LACEY RAINS LOWE said the commercial center is being viewed by Carle as a "mini-downtown area."

Another part of the campus will include a new Hampton Inn, surrounded by four mixed-use buildings with ground-floor commercial spaces and upper-floor residential or office spaces. Still another part of the campus will house three new medical buildings, one of which will be the Ambulatory Surgery Center.

Energy-efficient features will be integrated throughout the campus, from dark-sky compliant lighting to pollination-supporting plants, Lowe said.

MIDTOWN PLAZA

Cost to city: About $2.25 million, from the north Campustown TIF district.

Due date: Expected fall 2018 for the two buildings.

Located on First Street between Springfield Avenue and White Street, the Dan Hamelberg-led project will include two five-story, mixed-use buildings with a public pedestrian plaza in between, along Stoughton Street. Each building will have first-floor commercial uses with apartments above. Each building will get one row of surface parking in the front and underground parking beneath.

"None of the commercial space is leased yet," the city's ROB KOWALSKI said, "but Hamelberg said he's received interests from coffee shops, pizza places, restaurants, a bank and fitness center."

CHESTER AND WATER STREETS RECONSTRUCTION

Cost to city: $565,329.50.

Due date: Sept. 1.

Chester Street is being renovated between First Street and the railroad viaduct; Water Street is being done between Chester and Logan streets. Run-down water mains under Chester and Water streets are also being replaced, the city's DAVID HAPP said.

Renovations include pavement, ramps, curbs, streetlights and sidewalks, which will be refurbished to meet accessibility standards. He noted how both streets' pavement had low-condition ratings and that Chester Street is often used by buses.

"We want to revitalize this Midtown area," Happ said of the link between the UI campus and downtown. "Hopefully, these new streets are going to encourage people to redevelop the vacant properties along them."

WEST WASHINGTON STREET DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS, PHASE TWO

Cost to city: $1,309,586, from the stormwater management fund.

Due date: Dec. 1 for the detention basin; Nov. 16, 2018 for the storm sewer piping.

The project includes a water detention basin along westbound Glenn Park Drive, between Mattis and Miller avenues, as well as storm sewer pipes connecting the new basin to Preservation Pond at Russell and Washington streets.

The city's ALEX NAGY said the new basin will be surrounded by park-like amenities — a waterfall, gazebo, rain gardens, walking paths and decorative fencing, lighting and columns.