Good morning PRU readers! There isn't much of anything to recap from the City Council meeting last night. They went through the usual opening drills, then approved the consent agenda and the Volunteer Month resolution.
Benedict Alderman Robert Ryan (5th ward) did offer a proposal under new business that the Napleton parking lot at Northwest Highway and Meacham be rezoned to transitional residential. The PRU Crew would not be surprised if this proposal under new business is as far as Benedict Ryan goes in representing 5th ward area residents on this issue, but we're willing to take a wait and see approach.
The City Council adjourned the meeting by 7:50 pm.
As one commenter noted this morning,
February 3, 2009 9:46 AM
Anonymous said...
"I suspect that all the meetings between now and the election will be short, so that Howard has less opportunities to say something wrong, and so that residents have less opportunity to speak up on agenda items.
Get out the rubber stamp, bacause we are just being efficient here.
Nothing to see
Move along folks
Go back home and bake an apple pie or something"
So if you are searching for something more informative than a City Council meeting, you may want to visit the Herald-Advocate website today. Their online update, Sheriff's office describes gang presence in township, is pretty good and worth your time.
February 3, 2009
Nothing To See Here -- Council Recap.
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22 comments:
Did Ryan propose this for just Napleton's parking lot? Or did he include the showroom and garage property as well?
Let's give Howie some credit...at least he's got a campaign strategy.
Oh yea? And what stategy is that?
Duck and dodge?
You know if you can dodge a forum you can dodge a ball.
I think Ryan's idea is only for the parking lot and not the dealership building.
I think he should adopt a referendum to put on the NEXT ballot so we can decide what to do with it.
Meanwhile ward 2 is getting hit with property crimes!
Gangs!
in Park Ridge ?
Wow.
Why not a nice little park there? It's a perfect locale for a sitting style park-- I know, I know, everyone wants tax dollars,etc... but I am so SICK of development!!!! When does green win?
No brainer. I'll take appropriate-scaled development on the Napleton site. Last time I looked there was a really big patch of green right next door!
Green wins when long green doesn't; i.e. once in a blue moon.
If you can duck a forum and dodge a ball, you can elude a shoe, too!
Yeah, but can we give 'em the boot??
More condos, more condos, more condos. Let's jam more people into town and let the infrastructure continue to go to hell.
And if it enriches Napleton or some other Frimark contributor, so much the better.
Based on some comments one would think that we are living right in the center of mid-town manhatten.
More green area?? With all do respect please feel free to cross the street. There is a park with everything you desire including nice quiet "sitting areas".
Jam more people into town?? I agree that any development in PR has to be managed and all voices have to be heard but to somehow intimate that people are being jammed into PR is hysterical - that is unless one moved here from Hooterville.
My only question is if they were to build condos, who would buy them? I believe that if you walk down the block in either direction there are plenty of brand new condos available for purchase.
If there are all of these unsold condos, then why is Ryan pushing for re-zoning of Napleton now?
Can somebody answer the question: Why do we NEED any more residential density in Park Ridge?
um. so Howie can line his pockets?
I think a little sitting area like there is at Hodges Park would be nice on that parking lot space. Yes, Hinkley is across the street, but Hinkley is a young persons park-- baseball fields, swimming pool, playground, skateboard park... there isn't really a nice spot for someone who just wants to sit and relax. That is NOT Hinkley. A rose garden, maybe. Is that so much to ask? A beautiful place? And such a spot might be nice for some of the residents in the adjacent buildings, or the shoppers who might want to sit in a park and have lunch. Good communities build spaces like that into their plans. Park Ridge has not even considered adding green space in its uptown redevelopment-- they have REDUCED it. We don't need more condos, we can't even support the retail we have, but we want to add MORE? And as for Park Ridge becoming overdeveloped, well reasonable minds can differ on this. I think it is becoming overdeveloped. Executive Plaza hasn't even been built yet, and that will add 168--count em-- units. I know it is impractical to expect the city to buy this land when it is in the red, but as residents we have to keep aiming high, and ask for the kind of things we want in our city.
OK...so we all know that I am NOT an expert on zoning so this may be a stupid point but when I look at the zoning map on the PR website it would appear to me that the parcel in question is currently in the catagory of B-1 - retail and office district.
So let me get this straight. Those of you bitching about the zoning becoming residential would be OK if they put in a strip-mall with retail? Would those be the same people screaming about a possible pharmacy going across the street (which will still be zoned for business).
Hoover, is it possible that Ryan believes that if and when the land is ever developed, those in his ward would rather have the space be residential than retail or office space? Just asking.
Just as an FYI, I know several people that are against the pharmacy idea. They feel a CVS will add too much traffic, and it will be dangerous with the baseball field right next door.
I actually wouldn't mind a combo green space with place buy carry out type food and drinks. Sandwichs, salads, etc. I agree that we do not need more condos. I like the idea of little park with flowers and trees.
That is exactly my point. The space is currently B-1 so someone could put a retail business on that space.
Now let me ask this. Are you willing to pay for a park?
First there are "opportunity costs". I do not want to dwell on these as they are iffy at best - long term and hard to quantify. But it is possible that that land could generate revenue for the city.
Second, let's talk about hard costs. What do you think it would cost to break up all that parking lot and haul it away, put in wiring and lighting, sidewalk, benches, landscaping, the requested rose garden? How about a Koi Pond?
You have got to be into 6 figures of tax payer money when we are running at a 7 figure deficit. All when there is a freakin' park across the street! How about we put in a few benches is a "special and peaceful area" in Hinkley Park and plant some roses?
1:40 PM - Don't forget the purchase of the property from Napleton. That should put us into 7 figures.
why is Ryan pushing for re-zoning of Napleton now?
Ryan is, I believe, responding to a neighborhood group that has advocated for the zoning change, as per the Uptown Redevelopment Plan.
As someone has already pointed out, the property (both the parking lot and the dealership) is currently zoned for business/retail.
The proposed change would allow any future development to be in accordance with what the Uptown Plan calls for and what the neighborhood has stated it would prefer.
I'm no fan of Frimark, but the accusations about trying to increase tax revenue and helping Napleton sell his property don't make sense. This zoning change would make it more difficult to sell the property.
But for all you conspiracy theorists...the question of why Ryan is proposing this NOW, out of the blue, when the neighborhood requested it months ago is something that makes you wonder what's up...
This barely relates ... But ... the 5th ward should be divided in half; there's too much going on for just one alderman to handle. If ward boundries are determined by population, all those new condos make it way too dense for Ryan to attend to all the needs or demands.
If you want to make the argument for 2 Alderman per Ward that is fine - in fact I am sympathetic to that argument.
But to use a "population density" as your reason seems to be a bit of a stretch. How many condos have been added to the 5th ward and what is the resulting increase in population? One would think they built the Trump Tower In PR while I was not looking.
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