CHAMPAIGN – A plan to be considered by the city council Tuesday night should help ensure that high-quality development occurs in the area surrounding the Curtis Road-Interstate 57 interchange, according to city Planning Director Bruce Knight.

The council meets in regular session at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Champaign City Building, 102 N. Neil St. A council study session will immediately follow the regular meeting, where a draft version of the "Curtis Road study area plan" will be considered.

The draft plan is a detailed guideline for developing the Curtis Road interchange area, which consists of 640 acres, a full 515 acres of which is developable. Most of the property is farmland.

City officials say the interchange area will be a new southern entryway to the city and the University of Illinois, and that it represents a rare development opportunity for a mature city like Champaign.

"Our goal is to create an area that people want to come to and enjoy, not a place they just have to come to," Knight said.

The $13 million interchange is expected to be completed by late November or December.

The plan calls for a mix of development uses, including commercial, office and residential.

Three new "development districts" for the Curtis Road area would be established:

– A neighborhood district that would be along the perimeter of the development area. It would consist of low-intensity commercial or residential uses and would help buffer nearby subdivisions.

– An active-urban mixed-use district, where most commercial development would take place and possibly some multifamily residential.

– A corporate district where office or technology parks and possibly hotels would be based. Taller buildings would be possible.

City planners envision the Curtis Road area as developing over a 15- to 20-year period. Knight said the city will be able to ensure quality projects though the annexation agreement and development agreement process. He said the city won't hesitate to reject proposed developments that don't meet high standards.

"The city council and the public have been pretty clear: They want quality over speed and that's what the plan requires," Knight said. "It's not going to fill in overnight."

A tool that the city has seldom used before, design guidelines, is part of the draft plan. The guidelines set specific standards that developers must meet and will help the city make sure its vision and goals are met, Knight said.

The guidelines include standards that will apply to every area and specific ones for each development district. For example, single story buildings are discouraged in the active-urban mixed-use district, with buildings expected to have a facade height exceeding 16 feet.

The plan includes a number of "must-include" requirements for developers, including a bicycle and pedestrian system, streetscape designs for Curtis, Duncan and Staley roads and all internal public streets and open space requirements for each of the four development areas.

The plan was prepared by two Evanston consulting firms, Teska Associates Inc. and Business Districts Inc.

The city council will be asked to schedule the draft plan for approval at a regular meeting as an amendment to the city's comprehensive plan.