On Monday, the Urbana City Council met at 400 S. Vine St. to discuss resident concerns regarding recreational access to skateboard parks and the development of a tiny home community. The tiny home project, Hope Village, is primarily dedicated to Urbana’s medically vulnerable and chronically homeless population.
The meeting started at 7 p.m. and began after the town board meeting, with residents voicing consistent proposals. They advocated for the creation of a skatepark in Urbana, as there are none currently present in the city and residents claim there are few locations to safely skateboard in town.
There were also a multitude of concerns regarding Hope Village, ranging from development concerns by former council member engineers to residents discussing how it could affect the legacy of Carver Park.
Robert Lewis, a former council member, expressed his concerns with the development.
“I’ve been listening very carefully to what the community wanted,” Lewis said. “I have reviewed the drawings and as they mentioned they’re not concerned about what these people do but the fact of how they approached this project.”
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Another residential-related point of interest surrounded Carver Park, a neighborhood in Champaign with a rich history and an association with Champaign’s African American community.
A discussion arose regarding public health harm reduction programs. Joe Trotter, an employee of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, initiated the conversation. It was introduced by council member Christopher Evans, Ward 2.
“If they’re looking for housing options, if they’re looking for job placements, if they’re looking for medical care we can help refer them to that,” Trotter said.
Jaya Kolisetty, Ward 4, concluded Trotter’s harm reduction presentation by thanking his efforts to keep the community safe.
“Thank you for the presentation,” she said “I am part of an organization that invited CUPHD to come in and do the training. We appreciate it.”
Chaundra Bishop, Ward 5, finalized the meeting by announcing an interaction opportunity this Thursday at 1701 E. Main St. at 6 p.m. to hear crime statistics and learn about the Urbana Police Department’s new police chief.
