State Senator Doris Turner is pushing a plan she hopes will help revitalize downtown Springfield.

Turner says one of the most common concerns she hears from residents is the need to “fix downtown,” adding that local leaders, businesses and community groups all want to see the area thrive again.

Her proposal, Senate Bill 2829, would rename the Mid-Illinois Medical District as the Capital City Downtown Medical District and expand its boundaries. The district, created in 2003, currently covers about a one-square-mile area just north of downtown Springfield and was designed to attract health care and research facilities.

Under the plan, the district would stretch from Madison Street to South Grand Avenue, excluding the area set aside for the Capitol Complex master plan.

Turner says the change would broaden the district’s mission beyond health care to include research and innovation, while also allowing the commission to build housing, educational buildings and research facilities.

She says the goal is to bring new economic development opportunities to downtown Springfield and help restore what she calls a once “buzzing central hub.”

Senate Bill 2829 cleared the Senate Local Government Committee on Wednesday.