Housing
Read more about the article Champaign’s vacant properties can languish for years without correction; Fines increased in past two yearsDarrell Hoemann
The former C.S. Johnson factory in Champaign on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Champaign’s vacant properties can languish for years without correction; Fines increased in past two years

Building paint is peeling, junk litters the property and “no trespassing” signs sporadically adorn fences surrounding the approximately 330,000 square feet of property of…

Continue ReadingChampaign’s vacant properties can languish for years without correction; Fines increased in past two years
Read more about the article Over one year later, no detached housing built following Champaign ordinance
Image from illinoisrealtors.org article about accessory dwelling units.

Over one year later, no detached housing built following Champaign ordinance

Some residents expressed concern about a negative impact on neighborhoods when the city of Champaign passed a June 2022 ordinance to build additional, detached…

Continue ReadingOver one year later, no detached housing built following Champaign ordinance

Complaints about yard waste and housing in disrepair continue to rise in Urbana; Property inspections behind schedule goal

Rental property and nuisance complaints have soared in Urbana over the past few years, records show.  The records, obtained via Freedom of Information Act…

Continue ReadingComplaints about yard waste and housing in disrepair continue to rise in Urbana; Property inspections behind schedule goal
Read more about the article University of Illinois seeks to have ‘less adversarial’ relationship with landlords to provide more resources for student tenants
Screenshots of the Housing Explorer retrieved using the Internet Archive.

University of Illinois seeks to have ‘less adversarial’ relationship with landlords to provide more resources for student tenants

Following the takedown of the University of Illinois’s Housing Explorer database, a resource for students seeking housing in Urbana and Champaign, the Off-Campus Community…

Continue ReadingUniversity of Illinois seeks to have ‘less adversarial’ relationship with landlords to provide more resources for student tenants
Read more about the article Residents complain about housing conditions at Latitude apartments; Out-of-town owners exacerbate issues
A half-lit sign illuminates the Latitude East building on 608 E University Ave. Nine residents have filed maintenance complaints with the city of Champaign in the past year. Photo by Gwyn Skiles.

Residents complain about housing conditions at Latitude apartments; Out-of-town owners exacerbate issues

Latitude, a five-story apartment complex in Champaign, has been the target of at least nine complaints to the city within the past year. Located…

Continue ReadingResidents complain about housing conditions at Latitude apartments; Out-of-town owners exacerbate issues

Bristol Place development project moves to new phase; Aims to turn Champaign’s ‘last resort’ into affordable, improved neighborhood

In 1998, the Champaign police estimated that there was a significant drug problem in the Bristol Park neighborhood, with up to transactions every 2…

Continue ReadingBristol Place development project moves to new phase; Aims to turn Champaign’s ‘last resort’ into affordable, improved neighborhood
Read more about the article Survey finds Champaign County’s homeless population surged this year; New count coming JanuaryDaily Bread Soup Kitchen
Daily Bread Soup Kitchen. Photo from its website.

Survey finds Champaign County’s homeless population surged this year; New count coming January

On any given night, 215 people in Champaign County are homeless according to the Continuum of Services Providers to the Homeless Point-in-Time (PIT) count…

Continue ReadingSurvey finds Champaign County’s homeless population surged this year; New count coming January
Read more about the article Campustown burglaries rise; Package theft plays big roleUniversity of Illinois Blog
The University of Illinois Police Department operates from the Public Safety Building, 1110 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana.

Campustown burglaries rise; Package theft plays big role

Nearly 400 burglaries in campustown, the area surrounding the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, have been reported on the daily crime log in the…

Continue ReadingCampustown burglaries rise; Package theft plays big role
Read more about the article Champaign County still prevents online name searches of property records, differing from most Illinois counties. Now it plans to limit searching mobile home properties.Darrell Hoemann
Brookens Admin Center in Urbana, IL 61801 on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Champaign County still prevents online name searches of property records, differing from most Illinois counties. Now it plans to limit searching mobile home properties.

In 2018, Champaign County had the chance to allow the public to search property records on its website by an owner's name when it…

Continue ReadingChampaign County still prevents online name searches of property records, differing from most Illinois counties. Now it plans to limit searching mobile home properties.