Hedge Park Update and Construction Breakdown

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!