The 1962 Long-Range Planning committee reported on eleven possible sites for a new UUCUC home. The committee rejected all but one of them. 

RECOMMENDED

Site of existing building at Green and Birch

“The church owns 15,000 square feet of land at Green and Birch. The church is also more than a half century old, but is of stone rather than of frame construction. The auditorium seats nearly 200, and can be remodeled to seat nearly 300. The architectural lines are good. While the entrance is inadequate, this can be remodeled. The changes will cost money, but long-range needs for a suitable auditorium can be met, and the building is a potential asset. The parking problem can be solved by the purchase of land to the south of the present building and, possibly, by purchase of other properties nearby. 

Strong arguments favorable to the Green Street location have been considered by the committee. Among the first of these is that the parking problem can be solved by the purchase of surrounding properties.

The faithful might be willing to walk three blocks from a street parking site to the church, but the less dedicated person might find this the deterrent that keeps him away. In the immediate future, the automobile appears to remain the dominating mode of movement of people. If public transportation in some form is revived in the future. those churches access to the main arteries of traffic would be favored over those in less accessible areas.

The Green Street site on the main East-West thoroughfare, with adequate parking, has strong arguments in its favor for both present and possible future situation.

If the two properties to the east of the present religious education building are purchased, and an addition constructed that would replace land will be considerably lower than that for the purchase of a new site for a church. Thus the advantages of having an auditorium and a that is already sound and of large size, and the relatively low cost of land acquisition for the addition, offer additional arguments in favor of the Green Street site.

The new Urbana Shopping center will be located at the end of Green Street about two blocks east of the church. The planned widening of Green Street to a four-lane artery will place the church on a major thoroughfare.

The congregation may not appreciate the desire to be seen or noticed, but a realistic approach to the problem of church growth indicates that a church of this type must be brought to the attention of the public. The church cannot be located seven miles out of town on a small knoll which faces the western sun if it expects to attract newcomers who never heard of the Unitarian Universalist Church.

Another frequent concern of the congregation has been the high percentage of University people in the church membership. Without in the least detracting from the attractiveness of the church to University personnel, the church should attract more community people to make it a meeting place of "town and gown".

This could be accomplished better at the Green Street site than at a site immediately adjacent to the campus. Furthermore, the plans for graduate housing on Green Street will place that new housing within five blocks of the Green Street church.

Because the present building on Green Street can be thought of as an asset, from many points of view, any undeveloped site will have to offer additional advantages to offset present location. No site now available seems to approach the present building in desirability as a site. 

After great deliberation, the site of Green and Birch Streets has been proposed for development.

A. That we expand our present location at Green and Birch by buying more land, modifying the existing building, erecting a religious education center, linking the two structures, and providing off-street parking. This will require the purchase of properties at 305 W. Green, 307 W. Green, and 310 W. High Streets.

B. That we sell the Chapel [Channing-Murray building] and lot at Oregon and Mathews Streets.

C. That we relocate the Channing-Murray facilities, and that appropriate funds be reserved for this purpose.”

REJECTED

1) On Wright Street, west of Illinois Field 

2) North of Green Street near the Graduate Dormitory 

3) South of Green Street, between Goodwin and Lincoln 

4) West of Wright Street and South of Green 

5) Florida and Race 

6) Race near Orchard Downs Apartments 

7) Outlying suburban areas in either Urbana or Champaign 

8) North of Urbana High School 

9) Immediately south of Hessel Park

10) Site of existing building at Oregon and Mathews (Channing-Murray Foundation, owned by UUCUC)