What a beautiful day to work outside! It seems like it had been raining 40 work days and 40 nights until this break in good weather. That certainly hurts construction progress.
Now that we have some good weather, we should be heading down the final stretch and completing the long-awaited sidewalk outside of the M2 project.
For the surrounding businesses and patrons of downtown who have been looking forward to the sidewalk opening back up, look outside and watch the progress in action. Almost there!
Even though there are some critics of M2, Downtown Champaign will look very attractive when the construction is finally complete.
I must say it is a beautiful building.
If it were mine, i'd be out there at least cleaning up the garbage. Can't wait for the first snowfall to lightly dust the piles of tubing and wires and rocks and garbage and give it all that holiday glow. Not to mention what the blowing snow will do to the exposed interior of the building.
Frankly that part of downtown was far more interesting and personable when the Met was still standing, M2 was a parking lot, and Impasta and an occasional art gallery were still there instead of yet another bank branch. Now it just lame and looks like a disaster. It used to be warm and inviting, now it is cold, ugly, and impersonal.
I agree with the assesment of cold ugly and impersonal. M2 looks like a giant prison. awful.
M2 looks like a giant prison.
I thought it was a hospital.
Maybe it would look more inviting if it weren't so cavernously empty. But in the end, the sucker is just too big for Champaign and too expensive too.
The zero set back that the city allowed is a major contributing variable to many of these comments, such as looking too large for the downtown and dwarfing the buildings to the west, choking the street and intersection--this will result in causing an impossibility of ever redefining the street and use of the sidewalk during winter months, line of site/sight issues, blocking sunshine--creating a feeling of unnecessary darkness; etc. The city is tending to allow more and more zero set backs-County Market on 4th is another example plus what is happening in campus town along Green Street.
Pattsi Petrie
The zoning is CB. There are no setback required. It's not like they got a special variance or something.
No worry about the sidewalk in winter. Remember, our Republican mayor forced an unfunded mandate on the big buildings as well as small business owners. The sidewalks will be spotless or the business owners will pay!
To Anonymous @ z4:0@ P-my point exactly. Pattsi Petrie
I thought it was a hospital.
Maybe a person named Burnham will eventually buy it and name it after her/himself
I think the building looks great. I think the parking deck looks great. While I'm not pleased with the contruction planning (paying the contractors on time), I do think the product is very attractive.
Pattsi, the height and setbacks seem typical for cities developing high density central business. I'm curious if you know a high density business district that has a different type of setback and building code that you'd prefer.
In retrospect, it would have been very cool if we leveraged downtown champaign into a "research park". How cool would it be if all those people who are currently on old cow patties to be working in downtown? Ahhh...probably not feasible.
Maybe a person named Burnham will eventually buy it and name it after her/himself
The Dodds are decendents of the Burnham's, so in a way the family already owns it.
The problem with the narrow sidewalks is that they will often end up with outdoor cafes or the like-- DeStihl or some such facility. Some sidewalks are simply too narrow to accommodate tables and chairs; we have to go single file by Seven Saints all the time. And when a groups adds too many for their table, you have to swing between the meters and the cars to get by while the wait staff waits to do their job when there is a break in the pedestrian traffic. Odd that I think of 9/11 visuals of masses running down the sidewalks; if those sidewalks were so clogged, people would have been trampled. Before anyone jumps on this mention, let me say that I do not think of any such scenario here in CU.
On Neil Street next to M2, there will be no parking next to the sidewalks. I can conceive of seating being overly full on a wonderful summer evening, and people having to step into the street to get by. Real cities have wide sidewalks to accommodate everything, most importantly--light. With the city trying to control everything from where and how to hide your trash, clear your sidewalk, and even what you use on the exterior of your building.... I would think that they would look towards the future in the eventuality that downtown expands and require wider sidwalks. It would make the newer section ever more attractive and functional for all activities. And FWIW I think the building is a bit a a visual pastiche, but then it's not my building and my opinion there doesn't matter.
To B for Business @ 5:06 A--hum-m-m-m, the argument "this is what is being done in other cities so it ought to be done everywhere and is right" has little merit and has ended up causing many planning errors that cause a great deal of monies to undo at a later date. A very good example of just this was shared during a mobile workshop at the American Planning Association national conference when it was held in San Francisco. The purpose of the workshop was to look at the urban design of the city and the cause and effect of how it happened. (This is the city of the famous TransAmerican building over which Allan Jacobs, as director of planning in SF, went to the mat against the city council, mayor, and planning commission because he did not think the building relates well with the ground and surroundings. He was fired over this and to this day still holds the same opinion.) dDuring the workshop, we stop to look at probably one of the tallest and ugliest buildings ever. When I asked the planner how this could happen in SF, a city known for beauty. The reply was "one can not fight city hall, but one can use this as an example of what not to ever build again."
As for cities, comparable to C-U, that are not promoting zero set backs, here are some examples--Boulder, CO; Madison, WI; Fort Collins, CO; Bozeman, MT; Ames, IA; Iowa City, IA. These communities recognize the importance of maintaining the original fabric of the downtown, keeping walkability, connectivity, architectural integrity and with infill to have a unifying concept, etc. Not only is Artichoke @ 9:03 A on point, but add to my list of related issues to walkability within C-U posted under my blog on IP. For all of the professing toward complete streets concept, walkability is an orphan.
Pattsi Petrie
B, not that it is my business, but what about M2 strikes you as attractive? It looks like the contractor had some sheetmetal and assorted bricks left over from his previous projects and decided to throw them all on the building in no particular order. It doesn't seem to fit into the rest of downtown at all. It's an eyesore, and it's a damn shame they spent so much money on it. Luckily, the exterior will probably be redone in 30 or 40 years. Most of the bigger buildings downtown seem to have done this at least once.
B is for Business wrote: I think the building looks great.
Did the Chamber of Commerce convince you of this?
Yeah, I'm not a fan of the two-tone brick thing either. I prefer M1 (across the street) with the brick and grey stone (cement?) combination. Just a personal taste thing I guess.
Zero setback doesn't bother me much, I suppose wide sidewalks would be nice but please let's not have the suburban style huge parking lots in front of the buildings.
To Akibare @ 8:49 P--it does not have to be an either or situation, zero setback or parking lot in front of building. All we have to do is think "outside the box" related to urban design. :-)
Pattsi Petrie
All this talk about walkability reminds me that there is 0 walkability while the sidwalk remains under construction. How long does it take to lay a sidewalk?
"B, not that it is my business, but what about M2 strikes you as attractive?"
I would have done without the two-tone bricks, but it's a very nice building. I like how the parking lot channels through M2 right into downtown. The parking deck looks beautiful and is easy to access from multiple streets. I would agree that we probably should have encouraged enough space on the sidwalk for cafe' tables. I'll have to look at it when it's done, but I thought you could have tables out there. I don't think you need more than that though, because the other side of the street IMO provide great walkability and looks very nice. Except for encouraging a sidewalk cafe' atmosphere, I'm comfortable with a marginal setback and willing to concede some sunlight.
To B for Business @ 6:38 A--conceding some sunshine is fine if this applies to only one building. What happens, however, if this is a pattern building after building? Granted we do not have super tall buildings in C-U; nonetheless, building setbacks are given serious consideration in that many communities have passed ordinances related to setbacks and blocking sun. I often keep in mind what it is like to walk through Wall Street, a canyon of tall buildings with zero setbacks and no sunshine. Good on a hot summer day, though. :-) I am not certain that I would want to be sitting at an outside table next to M2 and have a car whiz by maybe jumping the curb, driving through a puddle and splashing water, or try to wheel a stroller by the tables and occupants. :-) When urban design is developed all users ought to be considered, not just a targeted subset, which may or may not remain the same over time. :-)
Pattsi Petrie
I often keep in mind what it is like to walk through Wall Street, a canyon of tall buildings with zero setbacks and no sunshine.
Maybe that's why they all turned into evil greedy zombies. : )
The city invests a lot money into the city planning department. I'm always hearing about these grand master plans and surveys, etc. etc. 1 Main and M2 where HUGE projects certain to transform downtown. Didn't the city go about getting public input on how Downtown should be developed? They invested millions$$$$$ into the parking deck and raised parking fees for everyone. Obviously the public had a say in that vision. Did you say something then? Your points are reasonable, however, it becomes more difficult to financial justify a project with agressive setbacks, and greenspace/parking requirements. Is it a bad idea to assume that these planners have conducted extensive studies and arrived on a formula that factors in all points of view?
Don't developers typically develop what a city wants? I'm thinking of zoning that outlines the setbacks, greenspace, maximum height, etc. If the developer wants to develop something outside those parameters, isn't there a public process for that?
To B for Business @ 1:02 P--before I reply, it would be most interesting to read how others respond to more thoughtful questions. Indeed, the city does expend a great deal of effort on planning. Nonetheless, planning is not done in a vacuum, but is a political process. In other words, planners might know that a certain approach/plan might not be in the best interest of the community, but if the city council decides otherwise then the city council decision is what stands. The planning department many moons ago did hold input sessions concerning the downtown plan. How the comments from those sessions were integrated into what was presented probably is not common knowledge, but a great research project. And yes, I did participate. As to the parking if memory serves me, downtown merchants have put forward many comments concerning the downtown parking, parking rates, affect on businesses, etc. Unscientific comments I have heard from merchants have to do with the feeling that they are not being listened to. Urban design is not formulatic. Each site is different. But there can be some design pattern concepts that are helpful to adopt. So far that is not an action taken in C-U, but has been done in other communities that are excellent examples. As to what developers build--again this is not done in a vacuum. There is a penchant in any community, based on the assumption that expansion translates into increases in the community coffers, to jump at the chance for development. I use Urbana as a recent example. When Wal-Mart came to the city of Urbana and proposed the development on 130, the city wanted this very badly for economic development. So much so that the city did not demand much of Wal-Mart related to any sustainable building standards. At exactly the same time in a Texas community, Wal-Mart was being asked to build "green" and did so. Wal-Mart did not leave the community to find one that would not put forth such demands. I am not picking on Urbana, just use the example that a community can make demands related to economic development and probably will not lose the opportunity.
Pattsi Petrie
Destihl updated their website. Looks like they ARE still in.
DESTIHL Restaurant & Brew Works-Champaign, IL
*This location opens Spring of 2010
301 N. Neil Street
Champaign, IL 61821
How did the first snowfall look on the garbage still surrounding M2's unfinished sidewalk for the Parade of Lights last night?
Believe it when they start finishing their space, Anon 12:26. In the meantime, don't hold your breath...