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TechnographUrbana plans new uses for shopping area
By Nate Sandstrom
Posted: 3/16/05 Section: News
Editor's Note: This is the second of two articles focusing on the economic problems facing the Philo Road business district in southeast Urbana.
In the parking lot in front of Sunnycrest Mall in southeast Urbana, it is quiet enough to hear a dog barking in the distance. Inside, the mall is empty except for a custodian. A directory lists the offices and shops that reside in the building; seven spaces are listed as "vacant."
Across the street from the mall, the boarded-up windows of a former Kmart are almost invisible from Philo Road at night. Unlit light posts keep the massive parking lot dark.
In an effort to attract people and business back to southeast Urbana, the Urbana City Council approved the Philo Road Business District Revitalization Plan on Feb. 7. The plan set goals and provided strategies to attract more businesses to the area. John Regetz, Urbana's economic development manager, said available spaces, such as a former Kmart and former Jerry's IGA, are too small for the needs of large general retailers. In order to fill the empty spaces, Regetz said, Urbana needs to use a mix of creativity and financial incentives.
n Looking Elsewhere
As the city staff created the economic development plan for the area, they took some of their ideas from Web sites that examined how other communities have dealt with large, empty retail spaces, sometimes referred to as "big-box stores."
One of those Web sites is bigboxreuse.com, run by Julia Christensen, an artist based in Troy, N.Y. Christensen drove almost 20,000 miles across the country interviewing developers, government officials and members of the community in cities that have faced the big-box problem. She said she used the information she gathered to develop the Web site, a future book and, perhaps, a future documentary.
The buildings in her research have been converted to apartments, schools, churches, government buildings and even the Spam Museum in Austin, Minn.
In the parking lot in front of Sunnycrest Mall in southeast Urbana, it is quiet enough to hear a dog barking in the distance. Inside, the mall is empty except for a custodian. A directory lists the offices and shops that reside in the building; seven spaces are listed as "vacant."
Across the street from the mall, the boarded-up windows of a former Kmart are almost invisible from Philo Road at night. Unlit light posts keep the massive parking lot dark.
In an effort to attract people and business back to southeast Urbana, the Urbana City Council approved the Philo Road Business District Revitalization Plan on Feb. 7. The plan set goals and provided strategies to attract more businesses to the area. John Regetz, Urbana's economic development manager, said available spaces, such as a former Kmart and former Jerry's IGA, are too small for the needs of large general retailers. In order to fill the empty spaces, Regetz said, Urbana needs to use a mix of creativity and financial incentives.
n Looking Elsewhere
As the city staff created the economic development plan for the area, they took some of their ideas from Web sites that examined how other communities have dealt with large, empty retail spaces, sometimes referred to as "big-box stores."
One of those Web sites is bigboxreuse.com, run by Julia Christensen, an artist based in Troy, N.Y. Christensen drove almost 20,000 miles across the country interviewing developers, government officials and members of the community in cities that have faced the big-box problem. She said she used the information she gathered to develop the Web site, a future book and, perhaps, a future documentary.
The buildings in her research have been converted to apartments, schools, churches, government buildings and even the Spam Museum in Austin, Minn.
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