Circular Intersection and Gateway Plaza
Concept
A roundabout or “circle” that connects Beaufort Street, North Street, a new boulevard along Constitution Trail, and a plaza adjacent to the Amtrak train tracks will be the focal point of the redevelopment and serve as a new Town center. Although having different functions, the Circle and the Gateway Plaza have been designed as a singular pedestrian and bicycle space that safely accommodates visitors. The paving will be a “carpet” between the buildings and the park.
Uptown Circle
As the center of Uptown, the circular intersection will be a park that accommodates more passive activities such as studying, dining, people watching, and strolling. It will be a place of gatherings for smaller more intimate groups and will also have a central lawn that can be used for outdoor performances. Since the circle is also meant as a place of rest, trees and their shade play a very important part. A water feature will serve as the main attraction in the circle.
Uptown Circle will slow vehicular traffic and make it easier for pedestrians to cross the intersection because traffic will be coming from only one direction through the roundabout, rather than from several directions as happens at the intersection now. Buildings surrounding the roundabout will be prime locations for retail at street level. In order to add perspective (the inner circle will be about 150’ in diameter) those buildings surrounding the circular intersection will be from 3 to 6 stories in height. Construction of Uptown Circle will occur during two phases of roadway work. The project is anticipated to begin in spring 2008 and finish in fall 2008.
The Gateway Plaza
The Plaza, in contrast to Uptown Circle, will be a large, flexible, paved space that can accommodate more intensive uses. It will be able to host smaller events, such as weekly farmer’s markets, without disrupting the Uptown streets, but will also serve as the major area for larger events and activities, such as the Sweet Corn Festival and the Sugar Creek Arts Festival. For visitors arriving on the new high-speed trains, the Plaza will also serve as the “gateway” to Normal. During non-event days, the Gateway Plaza could accommodate a café for the Multi-Modal Center or a lunch area for the Children’s Museum, both of which face the Plaza.
LEED Certification
In accordance with the Uptown Renewal Plan, the Town has set a goal of certifying the project as part of the LEED Certification Program. In order to create a more environmentally conscious Uptown, several goals have been set for the design of Uptown Circle, Gateway Plaza, and the adjacent streets. Goals have been set to reduce the urban heat island effect, incorporate recycled materials, and minimize light pollution, as well as the primary goal of creating a sustainable stormwater management system. This could be accomplished by using porous pavement to maximize groundwater infiltration and having “green roofs” that absorb rainwater and slow its flow.
The most significant sustainable idea is a system that will capture the rainwater that falls in the Uptown and treat it through natural processes so that it is clean enough to be used in a fountain in the circle. Stormwater will be captured on East Beaufort Street and Constitution Boulevard and directed to a basin at the terminus of the streets. From the basins, the water will be treated before it is used for the fountain. Although the water will be clean enough for the fountain, it will not be potable. The excess stormwater will eventually be returned to the Sugar Creek cleaner and could be recycled to irrigate the Uptown street trees. The stormwater sustainable management system will also provide numerous educational opportunities for the local schools, as well as potential programming opportunities for the Children’s Discovery Museum. Each of the schemes will treat the water similarly, but the way of treatment is expressed differently in each.
Project Schedule
As the design approaches its implementation phase, the Town will announce more public meetings to inform the community of construction plans and street closures and will provide the full construction schedule. At this time, construction is scheduled from spring 2008 to summer 2008, conditional on transportation funding from the state and federal governments. Public meeting dates will be posted on this website and will be advertised in The Normalite or The Pantagraph.
