By: Diane Benjamin

I hear the Planning Commision meeting last Thursday was around 4 hours long. Many citizens from the area spoke, their quiet neighborhood and property values will be affected. Chris Koos’ handpicked commission members mostly ignored them and approved the project. I think 3 story buildings got reduced to 2 stories. Will that make the project less attractive to the developer if true?

May 19th this project will go to the full Council. The area citizens will be there again. Since the election was only a month ago, re-elected Chris Koos has no reason to care about what these citizens think. He expects you to forget before the next election or after he resigns “for health reasons”.

Normal had at least a decade of possibly electing common sense candidates. They rejected all of them for progressives. This neighborhood destruction is the result.

Progressive isn’t progress. Feel the weight of government crushing you? Does it feel like progress?

Thank a past president: https://www.dailynews.com/2020/07/29/trump-administration-right-to-strike-obama-era-housing-policy/

Instead of simply prohibiting discrimination, the Obama administration policy called for using federal funds as leverage to encourage construction of “affordable” housing in neighborhoods where local rules prohibit high-density, multi-family development. The premise is that it’s racist to have single-family homes on large lots protected by local zoning from having apartment buildings constructed in the same area.

The property in question had been zoned farm and single family. I hear all the area residents have covenants stating this farmland would only be single family in the future. Sounds like a lawsuit – if they can find a lawyer.