Tonight (Mon., July 6) the Park Ridge City Council is set to give its final approval to changing the zoning of two long-standing “B” (business) parcels to multi-family residential (R-3) for no apparent reason other than a couple/few handfuls of those properties’ neighbors want it that way, and Fifth Ward Ald. Robert Ryan (along with a majority of his fellow aldermen) is trying to give it to them.
We don’t fault the neighbors of the former Napleton Cadillac parking lot (NW corner of Northwest Hwy and Meacham) or Audrey’s (SE corner of Northwest Hwy. and Elm) for wanting to keep potential commercial buildings – and whatever traffic they might generate – out of their neighborhoods. We think that kind of NIMBY mentality is useful in bringing issues to the attention of the rest of the community.
And we don’t expect a huge outcry from the mass of ordinary Park Ridge residents, who probably haven’t given the matter a whole lot of thought; and, if they have, probably side with the neighbors for the same reasons.
But why is the Park Ridge business community so strangely and deafeningly silent on this issue?
Our City went millions of dollars into hock helping finance “Uptown Redevelopment” because of pie-in-the-sky assurances that retail, retail and more retail would keep Park Ridge consumer dollars here, while at the same time drawing in consumers from outside the community, thereby raising our sales tax base and providing property tax relief. And one of the loudest advocates of that plan was none other than Robert Ryan, who back then was a member of both the now (mercifully) defunct Economic Development Corporation and the Uptown Advisory Task Force.
This is the same Ald. Ryan who happily voted to give Bill Napleton as much as $2.4 million of our tax dollars before General Motors pulled the plug on his dealership. But just 18 months later he wants to convert “B” property – including Napleton’s parking lot – into “R” property. What’s up with that?
We have the oddest feeling that we’re missing something here – the same kind of feeling we have about the secretive Taste, Inc. situation – but we just can’t quite put our finger on it. Any thoughts from you out there in the audience?
But the really strange thing to us is why we haven’t heard so much as a a “boo” or a whimper from that local bastion of capitalism, the Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce. According to its website, “the Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce continually strives to help business develop and grow.” Hey, Chamber president Karen Anderson and Exec. Director Gail Haller…how does converting “B”-zoned property to multi-family “help business develop and grow”?
And what about the City’s Economic Development Director, Kim Uhlig? She gets paid a pretty darn decent salary and benefits to get businesses to come to Park Ridge, and to retain the ones already here. Hey, Kim…how “welcoming” can you make Park Ridge look to the regional business community when we strip business sites from one of our more traveled thoroughfares that has been home to a variety of retail establishments and business offices for decades?
Kim? Anybody? Bueller?
We realize this re-zoning and map amendment are probably a “done deal,” given that both of the required two readings have been pushed through in what appears to be the record time of a mere seven days. But when the votes are counted this evening and the City Council has chosen to boost multi-family residential over business, again, we hope you will make a note of each and every one of the aldermen who support this action.
That way, the next time Ald. Ryan or his Council buddies brag about how “pro-business” they are, or tell us how we need to spend more of our tax dollars on “business-friendly” boondoggles like façade improvements and the like, we can remind ourselves of who voted to reduce the number of available business sites in Park Ridge.
That way, we’ll know which of them are lying through their teeth. Again.
Update (7/7/09)
“Each and every one of the aldermen” who voted to change the zoning on three “B-1” properties to “R-3” are: Allegretti (4th Ward), Bach (3rd Ward), Ryan (5th Ward) and Wsol (7th Ward).
Not surprisingly, the Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce and its individual local merchant members were MIA. What was surprising (and dismaying), however, is that not one of the four Alder-dunces who voted for the changes asked the City’s retail “czarina,” Kim Uhlig, about how those changes might impact her never-ending quest for more retailers. But, then again, with “done deals,” anything beyond knowing what to do and when to do it is superfluous.
Finally, we give a shout-out to Alds. Carey, DiPietro and Sweeney for voting against mindless multi-family residential re-zoning. Too bad they’re outnumbered by the Alder-dunces.
10 comments so far
This has been a puzzlement to me as well. We keep on being fed “retail” and then we take away retail opportunities that already exist!
WTF?
Look folks, I am all for appropiate businesses coming to PR. Hell, I was all for a pharmacy going in across the street from the plot in question. You remember that, right? Many on the people who post on blogs screamed like stuck pigs on just the rumor of a CVS going in.
I do not have a freakin’ clue what the economic value of that parcel would be to PR if it were developed. I do know that if there are people who were waiting in line (yea right!!) to put a business there there are plenty of empty spaces in Uptown. If they are in love with that corner they can go right across the street. I find it hard to be worried about an alderman who is working for his ward (granted it may not be close to all of his ward who are pushing for this) and be outraged about the potential loss in tax revenue when we have existing spots for businesses all over the place that have been empty for a long time. Instead of asking Kim her opinion about this empty parking lot, I would ask her what she is doing to attract businesses to the empty spaces all over Uptown.
What is the over/under on how long that space would stay open waiting for a business to come in build? 1 year? 5 years? Ten?? I bet it will be a fairly long wait even for residential. But it is a lovely parking lot!!
Anon at 9:34 a.m. – If it’s going to be “a fairly long wait” for residential or retail/commercial anyway, then why change the zoning now rather than waiting until somebody comes in with a project they are willing to pay to put there?
And so what if there are other spaces in town available? CVS didn’t want any of those other spaces, so who’s to say some other retailer might consider the Napleton lot or Audrey’s rather than the old Dominic’s, or the old Hollywood video?
Why do we keep handicapping ourselves on retail while kissing butt on multi-family residential that doesn’t seem to be lowering our property taxes one bit?
Nice piece today, Pub-dogs.
Where is the Chamber on this? A good guess would be staying mum and hoping for more residential development within and around the already existing retail center — a captive audience of sorts.
It’s also a reasonable speculation to consider the local developer pool and what they’re probably after. Norwood isn’t a likely prospect — not with EOP waving in the chilly breeze of the current depression and their units in Mount Prospect having to go to auction — http://www.journal-topics.com/mp/09/mp090617.1.html . But has anyone heard from Valenti recently?
The point of all this is that there is no reason to change anything other than in response to a real, concrete plan or request. Audrey’s and Napleton have been business zoned for years, but the zoning’s being changed now because a few neighbors want to foreclose any possible retail or non-residential development?
I might be more open to those sentiments if the city’s budget wasn’t millions under water and we were actually making some serious money from Chico’s, Jos. A. Banks, etc. But from what I can see when I drive by those place (and not hearing anything from the City to the contrary), it looks like they aren’t. So the last thing we need is to eliminate more business sites and replace them with residential.
Where’s CURRB on this issue? I thought they don’t want any more multi-family, but I haven’t seen Judy Barclay quoted on this.
Exactly how many more quarters are we going to throw into the wishing well hoping for that once in a lifetime opportunity for a business/retail developement to pay off? I guess since the once in a lifetime in the uptown didn’t pan out, we should try it somewhere else. And when that doesn’t work out as planned then we’ll try somewhere else again. Until we have that beautiful urban blight decor that keeps everyone flocking anywhere else but here.
By Just Saying:
I don’t think “business/retail development” is a certainty anywhere in Park Ridge, but I object to the City Council and City Staff changing zoning without any definite plan for the properties in question. Stupid, shortsighted and anti-development. Or somebody’s getting greased.
I was at last night’s meeting and the Clowncil voted 4 (Allegretti, Bach, Ryan and Wsol) to 3 (Carey, DiPietro and Sweeney) to re-zone all three properties, including Napleton’s lot. Napleton’s attorney made it sound like Napleton will sue, but that could have just been bluster.
Does anybody know what has happened to Frank Wsol? Not only did he vote for this rezoning, but then he tried to call a vote on giving away City money to people who put in overhead sewers or other flood control devices. And then when the city attorney told him he couldn’t do it, Wsol acted like a smug jerk. But at least for one bright shining moment, Carey picked his game up and voted against the rezoning.
Anon at 9:34, will you feel the same way if Napleton sues the city? There was no reason to do this. Ryan is frighteningly stupid. I think Wsol is angry that Schmidt won and now he spends all his time trying to make Schmidt look bad. He’s like an 8 yr. old whose team lost a baseball game. Ryan and Wsol both so desperately need to go. Kudos to Carey…I think he’s starting to get it! I hope so.
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>