PEORIA MAGAZINE March 2023

H O M E T O W N

THE NEW NORMAL Uptown Normal raises the bar on what’s possible in urban redevelopment

BY SCOTT FISHEL

A t its simplest and most functional, Normal’s Uptown Circle resolves a troublesome intersection of streets in the town’s historic business district. As a symbol of progress, the Circle is the dot on an exclamation mark punctuating nearly 25 years of change. It has drawn praise and people, won awards and breathed new life into the oldest part of this town of 54,000. Now the town is poised to expand its highly successful urban renewal effort to “the other side of the tracks,” continuing the journey from an unremarkable business district to a connected hub of local pride and regional activity. LEVERAGING LOCATION Chris Koos, mayor of the Town of Normal since 2003, has been around to see and lead much of the transformation of Uptown Normal. He said it got

The Garlic Press (opened in 1976) and Shorty’s Barber Shop (established in 1922), the student bars and eateries typical of college towns, and a lot of what Koos calls “revolving door buildings” — low-rent addresses where start-ups often closed or relocated in two or three years. A master plan from Farr Associates in Chicago was approved with strong support from the Town Council. Downtown was rechristened Uptown Normal and the wheels of redevelopment were set in motion. “The idea was to leverage our location next to Illinois State University … make it more pedestrian friendly, less oriented to the automobile, more walkable, and generate an environment where business can thrive,” said Koos. Farr Associates’ master plan included many of the features that distinguish Uptown today: a traffic-calming, pedestrian- and bike-friendly plaza, a multi-modal transportation center,

Normal Mayor Chris Koos near the Uptown Normal Circle

started in 1999, when the Town Council reached a critical decision. “The discussion was, ‘Should we do something in the downtown area, and if we do, should we just tidy up a little or go for significant change?’” Koos recalls. At the time, the downtown area had long-term businesses such as

70 MARCH 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE