By: Diane Benjamin
I think there is consensus now on what is happening at the corner of Oakland and Veterans Parkway – where Hardies used to be. It sounds like a car wash wants to locate there.
The Public Hearing is Wednesday:
My thoughts:
- I’m happy somebody wants to do something with the property
- I have a problem with the current entrance and exit on Oakland Avenue. It is too close to the stop light, especially when exiting the property
- Left turns should never be allowed, traffic is too heavy and there are too many lanes to cross
- Right turns aren’t much better when a driver wants to turn left on Veterans, again crossing too many lanes
There is an easy fix – only allow exiting the property on the north side. Customers will end up on Prospect were congestion is a little better!
If you can’t attend the hearing – this is the contact information listed on the City website for the Planning Commission: https://www.cityblm.org/government/boards-commissions/planning-commission
We know emails don’t always get to the intended target, so in person is much better. If you know any of the commission members you could contact them directly – email addresses aren’t on the website.
FYI: According to Wallethub:
Ratings for 1261 small cities for starting a business:
“Right Fit” philosophy is worse in Normal, but it isn’t doing much for Bloomington either. Entrepreneurs aren’t going to look past the first 100.
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Something is indeed better than nothing. I’m with you on the easy traffic fixes, Diane. However, since its common sense, straightforward, and fair to all involved, it’s unlikely to play out this way. I suspect the Planning Commission will talk to hear themselves talk, and make the prospective business owner dance to their beat. If you’re talking entrepreneurs, don’t expect to see any come out of Bloomington-Normal anytime soon. There’s really no culture of entrepreneurship or a creative class in the community. Lots of government bureaucrats, university administrators, and SF rank-and-file or future pensioners. Not likely to see a tech company starting up in these parts. Bloomington-Normal entrepreneurs open either a restaurant or a nicknack shop.
Yep – when it comes to creating 21st Century businesses, this area has no entrepreneurial class – we do have a bumper crop of idiots, land whales, want-to-be elites, clueless investors, SJWs and socialists who couldn’t start or run a successful business that actually brings money into the area, if their lives depended on it. The talent pool here is 1 inch deep and filled with old fast food containers and empty beer cans.
Move if you can or stay and watch the decline of an isolated and clueless Midwestern 1 industry town.
It is a foregone conclusion that this community already had one foot in it’s economic grave. Even if there were a true entrepreneurial class present, it would quickly undermined by the existing elitist and social clique. The clique has never welcomed new ideas with open arms that are not identifiable as their own. If they or a friend of theirs cannot prosper from it or are not included in its development, they make every effort to make sure it does not see the light of day. BN has always been a name game town and it will willingly die before any new person or industry is allowed to prosper before getting the clique’s stamp of approval.
Interesting that the “Access to resources” column isn’t much better, I guess that translates to “right fit” or having to say “uptown” in your ad rather then saying DOWNTOWN.
One thing we serfs forget. It is only a right fit if it allows the elite to prosper. As far as what Tari Marx and Fueher Koos are concerned we can just eat cake.