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Caption: Map of UIUC (2004) (Campus Retail Assessment)
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Section III – 6 Much of the area’s business growth is attributable to the University. Several high-tech firms are spin-offs of University research efforts. Currently the Enterprise Works program has 23 companies with 120-plus employees crafting technology transfer strategies. Even the area’s agriculture potential substantially benefits from the school’s ongoing crop experimentation. The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation continues to aggressively market to manufacturers, production and distribution businesses to build in the area. The cities host a comfortable mix of technology and tradition. Some of the world’s richest farmland, one of the world’s top universities, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, recognition as one of the nation’s hot new tech areas or “silicone prairie”, and accessibility by air, rail and interstate highway make Champaign County an attractive and affordable place to live and work. The influx of new business, primarily small high tech firms, can be attributed to the desire for simpler lifestyles as metropolitan families continue to move into less expensive and less congested areas. In Champaign-Urbana, over 80% of the working age population is employed in managerial, professional, technical or administrative support, thus exemplifying the two cities’ diverse and educated workforce. Competition Any retail that may be developed for campus sites is faced with competition from five distinct retail districts existing today: the Neil Street corridor strip development, Downtown Urbana, Downtown Champaign, Prospect Avenue including Market Place Mall and surrounding power/strip centers, and the University Avenue corridor strip development. Neil Street Corridor Strip Development The Wal-mart center and the Shoppes of Knollwood are the two largest strip developments within a reasonable bus ride or short drive to the campus. While Walmart represents a significant regional draw, most of the other merchants and restaurants in this area are dining and shopping destinations only for customers within a fairly short driving distance. Below is a representative sampling of businesses in the area. Retailers/Restaurants Arby’s Blockbuster Biaggi’s El Toro Hardee’s Hooters Jillian’s McDonald’s Osco Drug Quizno’s/Dairy Queen Ribeye Steak ‘n Shake TGI Friday’s Trout 45 Verizon Wendy’s Jones Lang LaSalle
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