Champaign Roundup

An easement that has conflicting concerns for land owned by the park district, but with an easement for use by the school district. From yesterday's News-Gazette:

Unit 4 schools and Champaign Park Board still at odds over land
The Champaign Park Board and Unit 4 schools remain at odds over a proposal to use park-owned land for storm-water detention from Centennial High School and Tommy Stewart Field, prompting Champaign Mayor Deb Feinen to ask the two sides Wednesday night to work together for the good of the community.

The school district has proposed building a storm-water detention basin, enough to handle a 100-year storm event, on a site north of the Centennial parking lot straddling school and park district land. However, the majority of it would be on park district property.

According to the easement proposal, 100 percent of the cost of constructing and installing the facility would be paid for by Unit 4.

At their meeting Wednesday night, park commissioners expressed concern over liability issues associated with having the school's detention basin on park land...

The board directed park district attorney Guy Hall to meet with Unit 4 representatives to talk about the liability issues.

Meanwhile, at least some park board members want Unit 4 to consider either buying the affected park land outright or trading it for Unit 4-owned land elsewhere.

Full article, including a plea from the Mayor to work together as we are all part of the same community family, here.

Proposal on Champaign's house-to-lot ratio will get hearing

On the issue of what many view as oversized houses, there will be a public hearing and consideration for rule changes. From the News-Gazette today:

Months after Mike Reed and his neighbors began meeting about a home-building trend they don't like, they're going to have a chance next week to hear about how the city may be changing the rules.

Reed co-founded a group called No Giant Houses, opposed to the construction of behemoth houses on smaller-size lots — many of which are in their central Champaign neighborhood surrounding Clark Park.

Objectors have contended large new houses being built on small lots in their neighborhood are both dwarfing the older, smaller ones already there and gobbling up too much open space.

Reed said he and his neighbors haven't heard anything from the city about their concerns since a January Champaign City Council meeting, "so we're anxious to hear what they have to say."

Before proposed changes in requirements about house-versus-lot size are brought back to the council next month, city planning officials plan to present them to the public at a meeting set for 6-8 p.m. Monday at the Champaign Public Library.

More at the full article here.