By: Diane Benjamin
This agenda item made last night’s Normal Town Council meeting last almost 3 hours:
Ordinance Rezoning Property in the Town of Normal
(4.14 Acres in the Wintergreen Subdivision)
This is Jason Barickman’s company (Fairlawn Capital) plan to build houses that will most likely be rentals. The more than 100 houses will be on smaller lots than the rest of Wintergreen and valued much less as a result but still over $300,000.
5 area residents spoke at Public Comment – see them starting at 3:08. Residents are worried about four things:
-Value of their properties, many over $500,000
-Increased traffic where kids are outside playing
-Overcrowding at Prairieland Elementary
-Possible flooding issues
These residents decided to build in Wintergreen because of promises made by developers and the covenants protecting property rights. Years of inaction to finish the subdivision made the Barickman plans possible. One speaker is a month away from moving into the home being built that will now have rental property in their backyard.
Many of the issues could be solved if 2 entrances off of Beech were created so traffic wasn’t routed through Wintergreen 2. The Council refused to act on that. One resident stated work had already started in the area before Council approved the development last night. Being a State Senator evidently has benefits.
Without any proof to support her claims, Chemberly Harris claimed residents don’t want people who “look like her” living in their backyard. Even though the definition of “NIMBY” has nothing to do with race, Harris used that term more than once to claim racism.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NIMBY
NIMBY (or Nimby),[1] an acronym for the phrase “not in my back yard“,[2][3] is a characterization of opposition by residents to proposed developments in their local area, as well as support for strict land use regulations. It carries the connotation that such residents are only opposing the development because it is close to them and that they would tolerate or support it if it were built farther away.
Just hit play to hear Harris claim residents opposed to above average rental properties next to their homes are racist:
If Harris has proof I’m sure WGLT would love to show Normal is racist, give it to them Chemberly.
Last night Chemberly told future developers Normal is racist. Nice job.
Of course the zoning change passed as well as the preliminary subdivision plan. With Chris Koos out of town the vote was 5-1. Stan Nord was the one lone vote against.
One person during Public Comment mentioned no response from some Trustees when she emailed the Council. This is more proof citizens need their own Trustee, the At-Large don’t represent anyone.
This meeting will take more than one story!
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I blame President Brandon, our illustrious Divider-In-Chief. Chemberly Harris feels emboldened by his rhetoric. If the President of the country can casually throw out accusations and name-call without any proof, then surely she can too. Attitudes like theirs are what is going to lead to people getting hurt and/or killed. Just nonchalantly tossing out accusations like that without any kind of proof is just meant to stir people up and, in the end, will not turn out positively.
The residents should sue Chemberly, WGLT and the Town of Normal for decimation.
You mean discrimination?
Sorry, I meant defamation.
Like all small-town/village politics, the fix was in. They all knew how this vote would go, regardless of what the local residents who live there said.
On another Fairlawn issue, they sold the properties they owned, that Lincoln College rented, to ISU. Does anyone else see a State Senator profiting off of a state organization as a GIANT conflict of interest?
One question: Is it a prerequisite that in order to be considered for “professional staff” jobs in Normal, the candidate must possess the ability to present themselves as a pompous ass? Or, is this quality developed during their tenure as a Normal employee?
no, chemberly, it’s not that current residents don’t want people that look like you as neighbors, they don’t want people that act like you as neighbors
Come on Chemberly don’t you watch the news, gun fire a weekly occurrence in Bloomington,Normal who is shooting?
Bloomingtion,Normal opened their doors to people from Chicago offering them a safer place to raise their children 30 years later shootings and murder, violence in the schools, who is doing it?
I sold my house to someone who had to get out of her neighborhood because of the gunfire, who was shooting?
Read the pantagraph look at all the arrests in Bloomington, Normal do you see a similarity to those arrested and who are usually in the majority?
Watch the news look at all the shootings and murders in Peoria is there see any similarity to those doing the shooting?
I did not create the environment of fear for those that want to keep their neighborhoods free from crime, you call those people racists they sure did not create this environment of fear.
Racism a hundred years ago more than likely racism today no it is fear of the who’s of the world that are committing the majority of the crimes.
The fact that she states that comments were made to her that were “conscious or unconscious bias” (racist) against “people like her”, leads me to believe that she interpreted the comments according to her own biases.
Do you realize how much power someone holds over you when they can read your “unconscious” mind and use it against you?
Does Chemberly thing “at large” representation on the town council is racist?
I heard at a democrat meeting she said she’s against districts. Publicly she hasn’t said
well maybe she should look into the matter further.
Has Rivian ever been brought up in this discussion? AT ALL? Because from appearances it seems highly likely that this is a Rivian “temporary” housing scheme for imported employees — with some permanent consequences.
So painful to listen to chemberley She has these highlighted points to through around: “NIMBY” “Like me” The words which precede and proceed these points just barely make any sense. She needs to take classes in proper sentence formation and coherent verbal communication.
Chemberly…. We don’t want big loudmouth jerk liar cry baby race card people like you in any neighborhood!!!