Mahomet’s Main Street to be renovated

The Farnsworth Group presented an ambitious plan for the heart of Mahomet: a complete overhaul of Main Street and its sidewalks at the Oct. 10 board of trustees meeting.

The engineering group took the 2019 downtown renovation plans developed by the Smithgroup to bring street, sidewalk, and potential park designs for the 400 block of Main Street to fruition. Plans and feedback for the reconstruction were also developed by a five-person community advisory group, which includes Mayor Sean Widener, Realtors Russ Taylor and Jill Guth, Planning and Zoning Commision’s Robert Deately, who is also a general contractor, and local business owner Elizabeth McDermitt. 

The first phase of the Downtown Master Plan, to be completed by 2050, is expected to be bid in the winter of 2024 and constructed in 2025. 

The project will take the straight road to make it curved. Currently, there are 24 parallel parking spots available. With the road reconstruction, Farnsworth showed trustees 22 angled spots with 2 ADA-compliant parking spots. 

Bricks will also be laid mid-block to signal a pedestrian crossing area. Farnsworth talked about a road without curbs so that people wouldn’t have to step up while downtown.

This part of the first phase of the plan will allow the Village to close down this section of Main Street for events or festivals. Designs included trees, bike racks and benches along the street front. 

Village Administrator Patrick Brown was asked about the projected cost and how the project would be funded (if TIF funds would be used), and while he did provide the renderings provided by Farnsworth, he did not answer the question. 

The 2019 Downtown Master Plan and TIF District were established to encourage business development. The plan also shows additional residential developments.