By: Diane Benjamin
Thursday the Normal Planning Commission will approve destroying a single family neighborhood: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4822
Everyone on that commission is appointed by Chris Koos to do his bidding. No one represents citizens because citizens can’t even know who Koos appoints until after the Council votes. It won’t matter how many citizens show up to protest their own destruction. Someone will mention the local housing shortage and the need to build more. Therefore building multi-family in a single family neighborhood will be approved.
Facts are immaterial – I couldn’t find any studies or proof thousands of people are living in the streets or in their cars in McLean County because they can’t find housing. (Some are living in tents in downtown Bloomington, but not thousands) One would think Patrick Hoban would have a source on the BNEDC website for his statement below. This appeared without a source except a WGLT story where he stated it: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-10-19/crazy-fast-housing-market-persists-in-bloomington-normal-its-still-too-fast-for-many
I searched the BNEDC website for data supporting this claim and found nothing. Meanwhile multi-family housing is being pushed hard in Normal and somewhat in Bloomington. It would be nice to know where at least 8,000+ people who can’t find homes are living now. The Regional Planning Commission just ended a housing needs survey, they haven’t announced when results will be available.
Next I searched McLean County population. The below is the most current information available, other sites have shown a population decrease.
This chart shows in 13 years the population has increased on 1,796 people, hardly the supposed thousands that can’t find housing.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-counties/il/mclean-county-population
Of course the Planning Commission shouldn’t approve the zoning change without more than developers claiming there is a need. Of course they will anyway because it’s “common knowledge” there is a housing shortage. (Believe what you are told) What proof can the developers provide or are they being incentivized to build? Is this student housing, “migrant” housing, or other?
Maybe Bloomington can buy Holy Trinity and house people there! That’s one way to get people downtown: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2023-12-04/bloomington-to-seek-conversation-with-diocese-once-holy-trinity-closure-decision-is-made
Is it conjecture or rumors spread by those benefitting from the benefit of public and private dollars spent building housing? Perhaps just letting the private market dictate and reducing regulation, property tax, and government intervention as a first step.
Maybe, even lowering local sales tax for an immediate effect to families currently suffering the current fiscal inflation crisis economic “recession” that the Fed refuses to see, hear, and smell. Interest rates for home mortgages nearing 1980’s levels at nearly 8% today (7.88%). Credit card interest rates for some at 24.37%, with store credit cards as high as 33% according to USA Today.
I’m waiting for Pritzker to tell Chicago to move illegals looking for housing out of tents and to the “Welcoming Cities” including Bloomington/Normal. How many million illegals have moved in since we erased our boarders and put up our welcome signs? Can’t ask about nationality.
Some of us saw this issue coming 6 years ago. I distinctly remember asking where we will house the influx of anonymous non citizens.
We could even see our police departments hiring non English speaking folks to patrol our welcoming streets. Back in 2017 we would have been called crazy conspiracy theorists if we ever suggested any of this happing. Now it’s happing.
1000 Unit 5 students with English as a second language mean they are already here. Maybe they want taxpayers to educate even more.