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Kids & Family

Letter to the Editor: Transparency Versus Opaqueness Part 4

Reader Jay Thomas shares concerns over Lexington Homes. Thomas' thoughts will be shared in several posts due to the length of the letter.

On Oct. 2, 2007, a draft of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment was brought before the St. Charles Plan Commission “ to obtain public comment at an informal setting.” 

The Chairman of the Commission said, “This amendment needs to focus on future land use for this area and be creative in the transportation connection to address traffic needs…incorporating into the Comprehensive Plan a future roadway connection across the railroad line to the north.”  Mr Hupp, “agreed this is the time to address as  a text statement whether more future street connections should be considered.” 

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Mr. Spear, Secretary of the Plan Commission stated that the lot sizes in any new residential project should be comparable to surrounding neighborhoods.  Mr. Anderson, a Commission member, reiterated what the Chairman had suggested that there be a connection at Sixth Street and Sedgewick Circle.  Mr. Lencioni Vice Chairman of the Commision,  agreed . The St. Charles Plan Commission met again on November 6,2007. The draft Amendment to the Comprehensive Plan was again on the agenda. 

Once again several members of the Commission commented on the importance of including a street connection to the north of the Applied Composites property. Mr. Spear suggested looking at the right-of-way for old Route 31, as a possibility. In their motion recommending approval of the draft Amendment, the Plan Commission stated, “In addition, potential roadways and bikeway connections to the north of the site should be explored.”  There were two rationale for bringing up this roadway connection to the north:  first, to alleviate the burden of traffic on the neighborhoods to the south and second, and more importantly, to conform to the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which states that no subdivision should have only one point of ingress and egress. The Timbers subdivision has only one. When the amendment was presented to the Planning and Development Committee on Dec. 10, 2007, Mr. Hanlon of Land Vision made no mention of the items that the Plan Commission wanted to see changed or amended, and those items were not included in the Amendment. He talked about different types of zoning along Dean Street and State Street, including R2-4 (which is the type that allows the developer to seek such high density on the site).  Now had Land Vision really done an objective study they would have noted that the only R2-4 zoning are the parcels on which the two apartment buildings on Dean Street sit. 

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Talk to any residents out there and they will tell you that those buildings are the bane of their existence. If Applied Composites residential development were to meet the median density of the surrounding neighborhoods, there would be no more than approximately 80 residential units there. In fact, the presentation was more like pitch for the future development than it was for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment.  In the end the Committee voted to recommend the Amendment and set a public hearing for Jan. 7, 2008.

Jay Thomas                                                                                              23 North 7th St.

Watch for the final part of Jay's Letter to the Editor Saturday.

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