Weather forces Roland Realty to adjust construction schedule

By Kate Szyska

Exterior construction on Roland Realty’s newest apartment building at 309 E. Green St. has continued through the storms of late spring in Champaign and developers are confident they can meet August’s looming deadline.

The rented apartments should be finished on time, said Tom Gillespie, president of Roland Realty.

“Severe weather has set building behind, and we had to adapt to a new schedule,” Gillespie said. “We are shooting for partial occupancy; we have enough occupants to fill floors eight through 16,” he added.

Roland Realty is working with Champaign to be sure that the building meets city safety regulations.

“We have very experienced people working on it,” Gillespie said. “We confirmed yesterday with the general contractors that people will be able to move into floors eight through 16 on lease start date.”

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During the summer months, other realty companies in Champaign and Urbana are continuing to work on properties that are set to open in August for the fall semester.

JSM Management finished the construction of their building, East Gregory Place at 700 S. Gregory in Urbana, three months ahead of schedule. The building houses retail and living spaces, including a Subway and General Eccentric retail.

They are also working to complete Urban Outfitters, 507 E. Green St., which is scheduled to open in August according to Jill Guth, director of development for JSM. The building will also contain office space for the University’s Public Affairs division.