Council discusses amendments to development plans

By Megan Graham

Champaign City Council discussed amendments to a development plan involving campus areas in a study session Tuesday.

The Burnham Project is a development project created to unite the campus with downtown Champaign. The project is located in four areas between Springfield Ave. and White St., and between Second and Fourth streets.

The Pickus Companies, the development company assigned to the project, have completed building the County Market grocery story and 310 Burnham student apartments.

Jeff Pickus of Pickus Companies presented amendments to the Council, including the idea to shift parking for the grocery store and to extend the Burnham Project deadline for completion.

However, several Council members expressed concern about the extension and the quality of the work done by the Pickus Companies.

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Tom Bruno, Councilman at large, said he believed the developers had not been timely and was concerned about previous problems they have encountered with 310 Burnham tenants.

“The phrase that keeps coming to my mind is ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me,'” Bruno said. “I question doing any further projects with Pickus in the future.”

Marci Dodds, District 4 Councilwoman, said she was hesitant to continue work with the developers.

“I do have some reservations with sticking with Pickus,” Dodds said. “I would like to see if there are other examples to see what’s out there.”

Pickus said he believed the company’s job so far was sufficient.

“We have lived up to our end of the bargain,” he said.