I went to the talk by Normal Mayor Chris Koos Tuesday night, hosted by SSI, expecting to find out more about their green building program. What I got was a view of the many ways that Springfield is being upstaged by one of our neighboring communities.
Yes, they adopted the LEED environmental standards for new buildings downtown but their redevelopment plan includes a wide variety of both small and big ideas that are improving their downtown and the quality of life for residents. Check out Normal's website for information about some of what they're doing, including the multimodal transportation center and the roundabout.
In response to a question from an audience member, Mayor Koos mentioned that most local developers didn't believe their plans for downtown would work, didn't support the emphasis on improving the city center as opposed to unrestrained sprawl, and they've had to look for investment from developers outside the community for some projects.
Its hard to imagine that lack of support from developers, and other naysayers who think "that's never happened before" is a full-proof argument against any proposal, didn't stop city leaders from moving forward. Springfield can definitely learn a thing or two from Normal.