One Uptown on the Circle, a multi-phased mixed-use retail, residential and hotel project developed by CA Ventures and Tartan Realty Group, has begun Phase I construction.
“The first phase is the Hyatt Place Hotel,” said Doug Reichl, owner of Tartan Realty Group. “That has a projected completion date of August 2015. We’re hoping sooner, but it’s a safe date.”
The $27 million Phase I project includes an eight-story Hyatt Place Hotel, a select-service hotel with 114 rooms, and 1,600 square feet of retail space. The hotel, across the street from a Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, will have a 2,300 square foot outdoor terrace connected to a 1,500 square foot meeting/event space as well as a pool and fitness area.
Building the Hyatt Place Hotel across the street from the Uptown Marriott shouldn’t be perceived as competition. According to Reichl, the Marriott and Normal see the hotel as an opportunity to attract larger conventions and attract more visitors to Uptown Normal.
“The Marriott hotel is frequently sold out,” says Reichl. “The additional 114 rooms create the opportunity to handle larger bookings, thus bringing in more visitors to the area. In addition, the new multi-modal station will make it more convenient for the convention travelers to visit.”
Plans for Phase II include a 6,500 square foot first floor restaurant/retail space with five floors, and 34 units of market rate apartments with indoor heated parking. Reichl described the apartments as being appealing not to students, but to college graduate and older full-time residents who want to live in an urban environment.
One Uptown will occupy a prime location on the ‘Circle’, and joins Uptown Station, a new high-speed multi-transit station, the Illinois State University Art Gallery (scheduled to open September 1, 2014), a state-of-the-art children’s museum, and more than $150 million in public and private investment that is reinvigorating the Uptown Normal market.
“The Circle embodies Normal’s commitment to growing a new kind of community for Central Illinois and the addition of One Uptown will only add to its vitality,” said Normal Mayor Chris Koos in a prepared statement.
Among the many reasons that influenced Tartan and CA Ventures’ decision to build another hospitality venue in the area is the new high-speed rail transportation system and the increased traffic to the area. “What the town of Normal has been able to do with the resurgence of the Uptown neighborhood is very unique and amazing. This is a large part why we were interested in the project,” said Reichl. “Hotel development is not our primary business, however, with our knowledge of the market and extensive restaurant and housing experience we are confident in the project’s success.” Reichl and CA Ventures have worked on several projects in the Bloomington/Normal area over the years, including The Flats student housing at ISU.
