September 25, 2007

Doping the Demographics



The district 64 board and administration are supposed to plan for the future while attending to the present. We have mixed opinions on how well or poorly they have met those goals.

We do feel their efforts to see into the future through the use of a demographer is not the worst expenditure of public money on a consultant that we have ever seen. The information is valuable for planning purposes, and we are also impressed with the accuracy of the projections the district's demographer has provided.

Enrollment Expected To Level At 4,500

"Enrollment in Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 will remain generally stable for the next decade, but will rise very slightly annually to a level of nearly 4,500 by 2015.

Projections are based on estimates of fertility rates for a specified period of years and turnover of existing housing units and teardowns in Park Ridge through 2015."

Let's repeat that - "projections are based on estimates of fertility rates for a specified period of years and turnover in existing housing units and teardowns in Park Ridge through 2015." One more time - "existing housing units and teardowns in Park Ridge."

What happens to those school district projections when a city government begins giving developers approval for variances beyond the zoning code for density and height for new multi-unit condominium projects? Will the relatively predictable turnover of existing housing units accelerate? How quickly? What will the effect be?

Didn't anybody tell district 64 and their demographer about the city's big plans for big multi-unit condo developments?

Not exactly the intergovernmental cooperation the community may have hoped for.

Hey, district 64, we hope you've kept that demographer's phone number handy.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Norwood is only asking for 8 more units. What is the big deal? It's not as if 8 more units will kill the schools. Come on people.

ParkRidgeUnderground said...

You are right. Norwood is asking for only 8 more units, for a total development of only 168 units.

The Heinz development at Northwest Highway and Greenwood is only 58 total units.

The Uptown redevelopment is only 189 total units.

Together these projects represent an addition of only 415 total units within only a mile of each other.

Anonymous said...

If you give in to the first developer that brings in his plans after the re-write of the zoning laws, you will have to give in to all of them. Whose campaign has Norwood and Adriani contributed to?

Jean Dietsch said...

Go in and have a look at the uptown PRC development. Specifically the "Lofts" above Trader Joes. Notice there are no thresholds on any of the doors and a 1/2 inch gap between the hallway carpet and the unit doors. The second bedrooms are built using interior walls and have no windows. Where is the quality we have come to appreciate in Park Ridge?

ParkRidgeUnderground said...

Guess. :-)

Reported campaign contributions can be checked at -

http://www.elections.state.il.us/CampaignDisclosure/ContribSearch.aspx

Anonymous said...

wow!!! Thank you for the link to the campaign disclosure web site. You need to look at each posting and then look at the itemized contributions. But it is there!!! Jack Owens, Bruce Adreani, and Norwood Builders have all donated to HPF! And he is working real hard to convince all the alderman to give Norwood what it wants. Wonder how much he will get donated to his campaign fund if Norwood gets the variance.....

ParkRidgeUnderground said...

We wonder, could it be that instead of making more campaign contributions, Adreani and his company say thank you to the mayor by settling that Country Club Plae Dae problem with that temporary waitress, and keep all their butts out of court?

We wonder also if the PRPD has made 1/10th the effort to investigate whether the underage caddies were present on that special day, as they have in busting some whiney coppers who dared to complain about Hoopty Lou.