Play It Again, Sam!

We feel the following letter is an outstanding contribution to the discussion of redevelopment in the Park Ridge community. It appeared in last week's Herald-Advocate as a guest essay. We felt an encore was in order.

Plan better for future

BY JUDY BARCLAY

I ask you to think about the future of Park Ridge.

We have always stood out among our neighboring communities. Whatever direction you entered our town from, you could always distinguish Park Ridge from our neighbors. The tree-lined streets, the green space and the charming small town feel, you knew you were home -- but that is changing rapidly.

We have already started to experience the over-development creep. Sixteen condos in place of two houses on Peterson. Over a dozen condos in place of a small commercial property on Busse. A soon-to-be-built 58-condo unit at Greenwood and Northwest Highway in place of five single family homes. And of course, almost 200 condos, lofts and town houses where there were a few commercial buildings and plenty of open space in Uptown. We must also mention so many of the single family homes that have been replaced by two or more new homes. This is just the beginning.

We have closely reviewed the Lakota Study and the Park Ridge LLC development is a very small piece of the puzzle. By not looking at the total picture the City Council is doing Park Ridge an enormous disservice. This development is just another of many to come and what the council does will affect all developments in the future. By not enforcing the use of proper zoning districts and granting exceptions, the council can establish a precedent. Each subsequent development will continue to ask for more. We have already heard from city and elected officials about the mistakes we have made in the past. We should be learning from these mistakes, not repeating them.

Executive Office Plaza is approximately 16 acres and using the R-5 designation this site will be allowed about 464 units when fully developed without any exceptions. Target Area 3 across Washington would provide space for over 500 units plus retail. Target Area 2, now under construction, has almost 200 units plus retail. So let's do the math. From Morris on the west to Berry Parkway on the east we have the aggregate of 1,200 dwelling units. That translates into a minimum of over 2,000 people. Two thousand new people and that is just in the immediate Uptown area.

There is already talk of Target Area 4 and that could burden us with 200-400 additional units. So the full potential of development in Uptown would be 3,000 new people. A 10 percent increase in our population without any exceptions, and the cars, traffic, and congestion that accompany this type of development in such a concentrated area. This could put an undue burden on our crowded streets, our already decreasing city services and our aging infrastructure.

All this over-development could have a negative effect on our property values. We would be no different from any other town along the North Western rail line. We will lose the uniqueness and character that make us one of the kind. Today, park Ridge is an island in the sea of development. Please don't allow the insidious fog of excessive development, which is creeping in, to engulf us.

The entire Executive Office Plaza site should be zoned R-4, a transition zone, a buffer between the single family homes on Berry and the higher intensity uses of Uptown. R-4 zoning would decrease the density and height and is necessary because, as we see, developers are always looking for exceptions. By establishing the R-4 district, on this site, you are demonstrating we are not anti-development but rather taking the position of pro-thoughtful, sensible and reasonable development. This sends the message Park Ridge is very special -- we are not just Anytown, USA. It is an easy out for aldermen who choose to close their eyes and mind and vote for what what is before them, instead of looking at what future development lies ahead.

We are not looking for quantity, as the developer does, but rather quality. In so doing, we maintain the values, comfort and the standard of living our existing residents and the new residents expect.