The City of Champaign hosted an informational meeting on the plans for the Curtis Road Interchange in SW Champaign Monday evening. No changes have been made yet but an update to the master plan is in the works and will be submitted to the City Council in a few months.
The city planners are very aware of the neighborhood concerns and also the opportunity that exists to create a great development. Check out the Curtis Road Interchange Master Plan and Curtis Road Interchange Master Plan Video Presentation to the City Council for more info.
While there are no development plans in place it is expected that ‘convenience retail’ will be located near the near the exit ramps (think restaurants, gas stations, etc). 2007 plans included a large amount of office space but this demand has decreased and the new master plan will reflect that. Another increased focus would likely be healthcare facilities. Carle already owns a large chunk of the NW quadrant and would be a strong anchor for the area. Residential housing will also be a large portion of future development. It’s easy to see strong demand for residential lots south of Robeson Meadows West.
It’s surprising when you think about the fact that Champaign currently has no direct access to traffic along I57. Right now travelers have to exit I72 or I74 and head into town to visit restaurants, gas stations, shopping, etc. With this in mind one of the direct benefits of the Curtis Road Interchange development will be increased revenues for the city. A revised master plan will hopefully take this into account while adding to the existing neighborhoods in a positive way.
The 2007 master plan called for developers to handle 80 acre project sites. Each quadrant has approximately two 80 acre parcels, roughly 7-8 in total. To give you a frame of reference the Village at the Crossing site is approximately 20 acres. That’s a lot of development and something that will take many years to finish. One proposal the city planners are looking into is breaking this down to more manageable tracts. At 80 acres it really limits the interest from developers.
One of the consistent fears raised by many attendees was the plan for the stub street on the south end of Robeson Meadows West off of Sandhill Lane. Most if not all neighbors expressed concern that Wendover would become a shortcut for access to the interchange if it was connected.
There are currently no development plans for the city to review. Instead, they are trying to stay ahead of the situation and put guidelines and restrictions in place that will encourage development that fits the location and adds as much as possible to the neighborhood and city.
View Homes Near the Curtis Road Interchange
Champaign County Real Estate 
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