By: Diane Benjamin
A lot of America has a booming economy, but not Illinois and certainly not Bloomington. Removing government obstructions allows the private sector to grow, expand, and start new businesses. If you aren’t the “right fit” here, don’t bother.
Ever since Tari Renner was first elected, Master Plans have been created for everything. Government planning always fails unless they force people to comply with THEIR plans, then it fails even faster.
Bloomington’s future is about to get a whole lot worse thanks to government planners. People don’t want to live and raise families in high density areas. Most don’t want to take public transportation, bike everywhere, or hang around downtown. Throwing millions away to change your mind will happen anyway because the current mayor and council want to force it on you. More people will leave, of course the plans will fail – just like the Coliseum and BCPA.
Why will it get worse?
Coming in October are zoning changes. The proposals have already been to committees with members all appointed by Tari Renner. This is a massive amount of information that no one on the Council will understand, but they will vote for it anyway.
See this page: http://www.cityblm.org/government/departments/planning-zoning/proposed-zoning-amendments
Property owners in Bloomington, especially downtown and on the Main Street corridor will not have control of their properties. Existing buildings will be grandfathered until you sell (if you can) or you want to make changes to the facade.
It should be obvious the goal is CONTROL. If you aren’t the “right fit” your property is in Tari’s cross hairs.
Residents in Bloomington need to start reading now. This will be before the Council in October. If you have a lawyer, get them reading. The right to use your property how you want to use it will soon disappear. What is left of prosperity in Bloomington will go with it.
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Wow! I only got a few pages into the Business District chapter before losing interest. I suspect I’ve read more than the rubber stampers on the Council ever will. I’m sure Mathy will double-check that his shop already meets all the requirements before signing off and forcing the rest of the businesses to meet the zoning changes. What business or business owner in their right mind would relocate or grow in Bloomington under these heavy-handed zoning specifications?! Wanna bet that Farnsworth Group got an advance copy of the zoning changes. They might have even helped author them. Hmm…
The “right fit” Here we go with the Main Street corridor again. There seems to be a pattern here-distract and attract! Attract attention to one stupid ideal so that people will be distracted from another! Next we’ll be BACK on the State Farm hotel,condo or a sports complex. CANNOT these people in charge FOCUS on WHAT is needed in infrastructure? Or are they that OCD, that a 5 year old at the zoo has a longer attention span..
This is tightening the vice on the local economy so they can control it. They are so much smarter than average people, they got this socialism thing this time. Just because it has never worked anywhere they think they can do it better. Democrats have never believed in the individual – it’s always for the collective. This is just more proof.
Meanwhile, those of us that aren’t the “right fit” have left town. What remains will be government entities and government crony businesses. Setting that aside for the moment, what jobs will result from this corridor? Most likely, minimum wage, restaurant, bar, artsy and retail jobs, just like Uptown. Not the best way to build a growing economy.
Looks like form based code is back, yep those nasty three words are actually present in the text.
To taxpayers and property owners: bend over, here it comes again! Gee, talk about Control! I bet ol’ tari is getting real excited right now.
The CEO of an Insurtech company called Lemonade said it best and this definitely applies to cities as well as companies and higher education (yes I mean you State Farm, Country Financial and ISU). “Those who truly innovate in the 21st Century will be rewarded and those who don’t wont”. So there you have it. Use the old solutions and resist innovation… and failure is assured in the 21st Century. There is literally no way to escape decline if you are not prepared to innovate and think outside your 20th Century box.
Bloomington government has a horrible record of trying to innovate but failing badly at it. The taxpayers get saddled with the debts of these failed innovations. The coliseum was supposed to generate scads of economic activity. Fail. The Bloomington Performing Arts District was supposed to generate scads of economic activity. Fail. Downtown Bloomington spending was supposed to generate scads of economic activity. Fail. I think we can see all of this innovation is getting us nowhere but in debt. Meanwhile the basics, like roads and sewers suffer from lack of investment.
Whenever and wherever possible, innovation needs to be done in the private arena. If the coliseum had been a private endeavor (ignoring that it never would have been built in the first place), it would have long since closed, and ideally been replaced with something more useful. At the very least, it would not be yet another a tax millstone around the necks of other businesses and entrepreneurs. Government is supposed to create a stable environment for a prospering community, not lead the community, because when government leads, it takes you to places like Detroit, Venezuela, and Uganda.
Well said, Lawrence451! Bloomington-Normal’s decline, which will get much worse in the coming years, is due to three main variables: (1) intrusive reach of government into private business with a belief in government-led economic development; (2) the higher education tuition bubble and disruption of the traditional college education mode – lookout ISU; and, (3) the disruption of traditional financial services that Country Financial and (especially) State Farm are unprepared for. Sadly, the private sector has been turned off and turned away by the local government and its policies to the degree that few, if any, businesses are starting, growing, or expanding here. The powers that be frame this as the private sector isn’t getting things done, so we in government need to step up. Sadly, lots of people buy it. When we talk about the $94 million plus for Uptown, the response I hear is ‘well, it’s better than what used to be there.’ Unreal. I’m expecting Bloomington and Normal to step up government control of business through zoning, ordinances and other means, as the private sector continues to leave town or just check out.
Diane, the only solution is to SAVE US and run for Bloomington mayor!!!! Only YOU can save us from the great liberal SATAN terrible Teri Renner!!!! Just looking at him makes me want to VOMIT! That is all.
#MBGA!!
What else could we expect from a Mayor, city manager and Council that thinks Chicago is an example of great success! 🙁
For the readers who do not have the time or desire to read through the proposed zoning draft dated 7/6/2018.
Division 5. Business District Regulations
44.5-1 – PURPOSE AND INTENT
A. B-1 General Commercial District
“…unified architectural treatment of buildings rather than an assemblage of separate conflicting store and structural types.”
Lipstick on a pig, it’s Form Based Code.
So much for the allure of an Old Route 66 pilgrimage through Bloomington. Nothing left to see here folks.
New story soon.