Uptown Normal

Normal Police Chief Steve Petrilli said officers have noticed an uptick in homelessness in and near Uptown Station, but that's not the focus of an ordinance update.

The five people injured when a pickup truck veered onto the sidewalk in Uptown Normal and struck a building remained hospitalized Saturday, including one in critical condition.

Five people, including pedestrians, were injured and the Children's Discovery Museum was damaged after a two-vehicle crash near Uptown Circle on Friday afternoon.

The Town of Normal has rejected claims from the American Civil Liberties Union that its revised code of conduct in and around Uptown Station violates free speech and other rights.

Violations can escalate from a citation to a ban from the area to arrest. The ordinance states people will be given a chance to comply first and specifies it isn't meant to deny anyone access to public space "solely because the person is homeless."

The proposal calls for a $35 million, 203,000-square-foot building on the Beaufort Street side of Uptown Circle, as well as a $25 million, 126,000-square-foot building on the North Street side.

The Town of Normal is looking to strengthen its code of conduct in and around Uptown Station, which has seen an increase in homeless people gathering on the property in recent months.

The two six-story buildings would bring more than 200 apartments to Uptown along with retail and restaurant space.

Two longtime empty buildings bordering Uptown Circle in Normal could be the site of new construction, after a design review committee approved a Joliet company's proposed Trail East and Trail West developments.

The Town of Normal's Historic Preservation Commission approved two requests to demolish abandoned buildings in Uptown, but rejected a third. The three buildings are marked for demolition to make way for the Trail East and West developments.