Upcoming Garden Hills Neighborhood Improvements and Construction – Public Meeting

The City will soon begin construction on improvements to make Garden Hills safer, more resilient, and better connected. To share project details, including the timeline and construction impacts, we invite you to a public information meeting on November 18, 2024, from 4-6 pm at 1804 N Mattis Avenue. Residents, property owners, and community stakeholders are encouraged to attend to learn more and provide feedback.

At the meeting, City project staff and our partners from Clark Dietz engineering will share details of the planned improvements to Paula Drive, Cynthia Drive and Garden Hills Drive, including road closures and detours. There will be opportunities for questions and community input. Design work is being finalized now. Construction will begin in 2025.

Attendees can also learn about the construction underway on the south side of Garden Hills. Hedge Road and Summerlin Lane, between Hedge and Holly Hill, will be reconstructed with new curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and lighting.

Two large detention basins will capture stormwater runoff, helping to alleviate neighborhood flooding. Walking trails, landscaping, and a new Hedge Park with playgrounds, sports courts, and picnic areas will surround the basins.

These improvements reflect years of collaboration between the City and Garden Hills residents. Your partnership has shaped this vision, and we’re excited for the enhanced quality of life you will experience after construction.

We hope to see you on November 18th! If you have any questions in the meantime, please reach out to the project management team (contact information on the right side of this page).

The Garden Hills Strategic Neighborhood Action Plan is on track for completion and Hedge Park construction is on schedule to meet fall 2025 completion. Today, there are two very important updates!

Garden Hills Strategic Neighborhood Action Plan (SNAP) Meeting

There will be a neighborhood meeting and review of a draft neighborhood plan on May 20, 2024 at 6:30 pm, at Garden Hills Academy. Residents are encouraged to attend to share feedback on the Plan.

The Garden Hills SNAP translates input gathered from residents and stakeholders throughout the planning process. Identifying neighborhood strengths and opportunities for improvement is a part of the City’s work to improve quality of life for all residents. Input from residents and stakeholders informed the vision for the neighborhood and the Plan transforms that vision into objectives and actions. Learn more about the City’s overall vision for the future in the 2021 Comprehensive Plan.

Hedge Park and Garden Hills Drainage Improvements

Sometimes saying “construction of Hedge Park” can short-change the reconstruction of Hedge Road, installation of street lights, trees, landscaping, sidewalks and detention ponds contained within the $32 million project. The budget and overall size of the second phase of these critical drainage improvements can be broken up into more specific projects.

In 2015, an engineering study was initiated to study neighborhood flooding. The study stated that stormwater management capacity was inadequate to manage rainfall that eventually makes its way to the Copper Slough. Hedge Road identified as the historic low-lying point in the neighborhood attracting stormwater. Solutions were proposed in phases. Each phase is a collection of projects and are described in greater detail on the City’s website.

Implementation can only start when funding is identified. While the City had assembling funds for the construction of Phase 2 costs, collecting full funding for the project did not happen quickly. The American Recovery Plan Act, or ARPA, distributed federal funds to communities to aid in recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Funds from the City of Champaign and Champaign County’s ARPA allocations along with congressional funding secured by Representative Nikki Budzinski contributed funding to allow the project to proceed.

Phase 2 or Hedge Park is more than a park. The cost of the project includes the reconstruction of Hedge Road, streetlights, native plantings, trees, multi-use paths, a playground, bridges, and, regional detention to alleviate flooding issues.

Image of Construction and Costs

Stay tuned for more on the Garden Hills SNAP and ongoing construction updates!

Join us on Tuesday, October 10th, 5:30 pm, at the Hedge POP! Park. From 4:30 to 6:30 pm the City of Champaign is hosting a groundbreaking celebration, with a DJ and games before and after the groundbreaking at 5:30.

After October 10, Duce Construction will remove the temporary park and put-up fencing for construction. A new park and stormwater basin will start construction later this month and will wrap-up near the end of 2025.

Mark your calendars for October 25, 2023, for a neighborhood meeting at the Champaign Fire Station on Mattis Avenue. There City staff will be able to answer questions about the project and residents can meet members of the construction project team.

Join us from 5-7 pm on Tuesday, July 25th at the Hedge POP! Park. Share your ideas for improvements to Garden Hills. Learn about the upcoming drainage improvements on Hedge Road and see the final plans for the new Hedge Park. Construction begins this fall! Enjoy music, Mother Goose on the Loose story time, and free books for kids provided by the Champaign Library.

The final design for Hedge Road and Hedge Park is available now. This design was shaped by YOUR input and ideas. Thank you! The project includes two detention basins, surrounded by trails with pedestrian bridges. In the center is an area that includes a basketball court, soccer goal, playground, grills and a splash play area! The site will also include plants that support butterflies and pollinators, new shade trees and other amenities. Full documents can be found in the 'More Information' section on the right hand side of this page or by clicking this link.

Safety on Hedge Road will be improved with the inclusion of a raised intersection at Hedge Road and Garden Hills Drive along with raised crosswalks that align with the pedestrian bridges. These improvements will slow traffic speeds.

The Hedge Road reconstruction and park improvements are the first step in improving drainage. Following the completion of this phase, Paula Drive will be constructed with new pipes that will also improve drainage. Sidewalks and traffic calming features like raised intersections and crosswalks are also planned for Paula Drive.

Curious what is going on at the Hedge POP! Park this summer? Bookmark this page to learn more! Share the quick link at champaignil.gov/hedgepark.

Lacey Rains Lowe, Senior Planner and Eric Van Buskirk, Associate Planner, presented a progress update to City Council at the May 2, 2023 Study Session meeting. A video of the meeting and the Study Session report can be found at the links below:

Meeting Video

Study Session Report

Greg Crowe, Treasurer APA-IL/ISS presented the award to Mayor Deb Feinen. Accepting the award, from left, Roya Nassirpour, Lacey Rains Lowe, Mayor Deb Feinen, Greg Crowe with APA-IL, James Corbin with First Followers, Rob Kowalski, Lori Gold-Patterson with Hip Hop Xpress, Chad Smith with United Garden Hills Neighborhood Association

Residents and community stakeholders joined City staff to accept the 2022 Advancing Diversity and Social Change Award from the American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter (APA-IL). The project was made possible because YOU, our Garden Hills neighbors, volunteered time and resources to help us build out the park!

Welcome to Engage Champaign, a new online platform for sharing feedback and ideas. This new tool will allow residents to easily get involved with current City of Champaign projects. Please check out the site and sign up for project updates. Thank you!