Proposed 32-unit apartment in Urbana still in limbo with city council

URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — Urbana City Council members continue to debate the fate of a proposed 32-unit apartment building in west Urbana.

Council members were expected to vote on a proposed 32-unit apartment building Monday night. However, it garnered an outpouring of attention from community members and over two hours of public comment.

The location would be at 413 to 419 West Main Street. It's a few blocks from downtown, just north of Boneyard Creek.

It has sparked concerns from some neighbors who live on W Main Street. One of the main concerns is that the building would not fit the character of the historic neighborhood.

The proposal would require rezoning, with the building being four stories tall and over 10,000 square feet.

However, advocates like Adani Sanchez with the CUrbanism Club said that the addition of homes is vital for the housing shortage in Urbana.

"We're seeing our city officials say we have a housing shortage and we need to be doing something to address this. At a state level, we have heard the governor say that we need 225,000 more homes," she said. "We need to have a serious conversation about what it means to be saying no to housing in the middle of a housing shortage that is this dire."

The Committee of the Whole did not vote on the issue on Monday night. The vote was deferred to the next full Council meeting on June 8.