Resident families in Carver Park
The north-end community acknowledges that Champaign-Urbana is facing a growing population of homeless individuals. We fully understand the need, and benefits, of the Hope Village development. We realize it is vital that empathy be shown for the homeless and a sense of hope and opportunity be given. It’s also crucial that all citizens impacted by this project be understood. It’s not fair to jeopardize a vulnerable population to benefit another; therefore, the residents must have equitable treatment and respect.
The historically African American Champaign subdivision immediately impacted by this project is Carver Park, along with surrounding neighborhoods of both Urbana and Champaign. Hope Village, a tiny-homes project in the northernmost section of Urbana, began abruptly without input from the surrounding community.
Former longtime Urbana resident Richard W. Painter, now a professor of government ethics at the University of Minnesota Law School and a former ethics advisor to the White House, wrote the Urbana City Council last year expressing grave concern that the Hope Village planning process illegally excluded members of the C-U African American community adversely impacted by the project.
The community’s concerns are:
- Lack of community involvement in the planning process (especially since there were other sites to choose from), and the economic and environmental impact the project will bring to the surrounding communities. We believe the cities of Urbana and Champaign in working with other local entities gave up their fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of the residents of the Carver Park subdivision and neighboring residents. The city of Urbana rejected an alternative design plan to alleviate neighboring residents’ concerns. From where we stand, the council did not take necessary actions to resolve residents’ concerns as outlined in Ordinance 2023-07-023 (page 4, section 1, no. 2) (see urbanail.gov/city-clerk/page/ordinances-and-resolutions).
- Increased vehicle and foot traffic and risks to safety. Access points to the 11.5 acres of land were clearly articulated in a traffic study in 2018 which included Federal Drive in Urbana and Fourth and Fifth Streets in Champaign. In subsequent meetings, the Urbana City Council ignored this traffic study and elected (by right) to use Carver Drive as an access point to the 11.5 acres of land. This “by right” use of Carver Drive was not included in the original traffic study. Using this access point places a hardship on all the residents along the street due to its aging infrastructure and original width, which is smaller than that of Federal Drive.
Additionally, this access point is a safety concern for residents risking their children having access to a detention basin immediately adjacent to the roadway at the entrance to the 11.5 acres from the Carver Park Subdivision. A retired designer prepared a formal presentation to resolve a few of the concerns of the residents and presented it to the Plan Commission and Urbana City Council for review and it was not considered.
Examples of locations with a detention basin/site away from residents and families: a) Another project like the Hope Village Project was the city of Champaign working with the housing authority to avoid traffic going through an existing neighborhood at Colleen Drive to Providence at Thornberry, back in 2016. The developer was allowed to go around 160 housing units, with a detention pond and businesses surrounded by a fence. b) A recent local article noted that in Bozeman, Montana, “they chose a site that was away from nearby neighborhoods, while Hope Village is adjacent to existing properties.”
- The Urbana Plan Commission publicly acknowledged the inadequate planning process, and one commissioner commented, “we’re in a procedural mess.” The Illinois Attorney General’s Office is still reviewing a closed meeting held on December 7, 2023, as to whether it took place in violation of the Open Meetings Act (see the video, starting at 39:44; and an article. A recently formed community group including Carver Park and surrounding residents—North End United—has signed and presented petitions, filed three complaints, and asked the council to postpone approving resolutions for state grants that did not fully address neighboring residents’ concerns.
At the first neighborhood meeting on June 20, 2023, it was clearly communicated that Hope Village will consist of 30 tiny homes, and a community center with a hair salon, a commissary, and offices. All of this will be operated with biometrics and one security guard. It will be surrounded by a fence with locked gates and no keys will be needed for the premises. And all of this will be monitored 24/7—including visitors who would need an appointment and have to check in at the community center, and be monitored as long as they were on the premises. At the end of the meeting, a resident asked, “is this a done deal?” Why is there an insistence on going through Carver Park Subdivision? The individual also asked the developer if residents get to vote. And he replied there will be no votes on this and no more meetings. He directed everybody to the City Council.
There are several details regarding this development that the city of Urbana has overlooked or ignored, such as existing resolutions and ordinances that relate directly to the African American community. The only conclusion we can draw from the lack of concern is that they have been trying to revive a Jim Crow law, called “legal oppression,” that was outlawed in 1968.
Other overlooked details include that the project team will not deviate from the traffic plan of Carver Park. When asked they indicated it would take three extra minutes for emergency vehicles to reach Hope Village by Federal Drive, which will be irrelevant in a disaster. There is only one way in to Hope Village and one way out and that is through the Carver Park neighborhood. In the pathway of a natural disaster, it would be horrific for both communities, and an alternative route is not only achievable but necessary.
In conclusion, the residents of Carver Park and surrounding communities should not be made to feel guilty for wanting to protect the people and possessions of their neighborhood. Residents of the community are law-abiding taxpaying citizens and deserve to be respected and have a voice concerning where they live.
Because of the people in need that Hope Village would be serving, residents questioned the project but were willing to make a prudent compromise. However, the project teams were not. They were unwilling to make any adjustments to accommodate the requests, feelings, or concerns. “No” was the answer to everything we suggested and pleaded for.
The residents will continue to ask for changes, including the relocation of the detention basin, and an alternative to bringing extra traffic through such a close-knit neighborhood, where there are children playing and aging elders, and disrupting family lives.
Melinda Carr is a resident of the surrounding community, interim president of North End United, and an assistant pastor.
Jackie Curry is a long-time resident of Carver Park and a member of North End United.
Darleen Bailey is a resident of the surrounding community and a member of North End United.
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