Normal Town Council: Local community grants, Carden Springs development approved

NORMAL, Ill. – The Normal Town Council held their first town meeting of the month on April 3.

Proceeding along with developments from prior meetings, the Normal Town Council approved the development for the Carden Springs housing plan for nearly 500 units located near Towanda Avenue and Interstate 55. The planned unit development would feature 477 luxury multifamily housing units to be built in numerous stages set to begin this fall.

Springfield-based Fairlawn Capital aims to begin basic infrastructure work on the area in the summer, though the group forecasts it won’t begin to offer the units on the market until next spring.

Carden Springs will provide hundreds of multifamily housing units for Bloomington-Normal during a period of housing unit shortage for the area. Council Member Stan Nord reminded the council how while the city will still provide fire and emergency services for the units, the owners of the subdivision will handle maintenance of roads, garbage pickup and snow removal, which will save taxpayers money.

The council also approved a $773,345 contract to J.G Stewart Contractors for various sidewalk and ADA compliant ramps throughout the town of Normal. The nearly $750,000 project would be carried out over the course of this next year, with a majority of the work to be done during the construction season.

A community development grant program was also approved, which would help to serve low to middle income individuals in the area. The Community Development Block Grant program provides towns with funding from the state for projects such as public facility improvements or affordable apartment conversion, with over $500,000 approved for the town of Normal.

Appointments for various positions within committees and boards within the town were announced at Monday’s meeting, covering numerous positions within the Building Board of Appeals, Historic Preservation Commission, Humans Relations Commission, Planning Commission, Uptown Design Review Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Among other business, a bid to provide apparel for the Normal Parks and Recreations Department was rejected, with the council deciding the bid received for the job was too high for the town. The town also approved a three-year contract with Gateway Fireworks Displays for the Fourth of July firework shows, which would cover the firework showings through 2025.

The town’s next council meeting will be at 7 p.m. on April 17, 2023.