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Our Neighborhood will go before the Council to present our arguments on Monday, May 5. We should be first on the agenda. Arrive early to get a seating block. Meeting begins at 7pm. 4th floor City Building, 701 E Broadway.
Did anyone hear Mr. Wade on KFRU this morning? He said he would have voted FOR the rezoning last night. He explained Columbia has changed since our neighborhood was developed and it’s now appropriate for Commercial. However, he clearly understood our position: we are not against the Hospital but that it’s not appropriate for the entrance to our neighborhood.
I didn’t hear the end but I think his only concerns would be the negative impact on neighborhood. Hopefully we can convince him there will be a negative impact. My major concern is that his mind was made up before he heard from us. PLEASE WRITE/EMAIL/CALL Mr. Jerry Wade and explain specific negatives on our neighborhood. (DO NOT mention beautiful open fields/birds/trees!)
Thanks to all our wonderful people who showed up! It was most encouraging. Thanks to the Benton-Stephens and Walnut Street neighbors who showed up to support us, too!
I would like to thank all the neighbors who came to the City Council meeting tonight in support of our neighborhood’s opposition to the rezoning of the tract at Old 63 and Alfred Street. We had a great turnout and it was good to see so many there.
As you know if you were there, the entire issue was tabled until the next meeting, pending results of the traffic study that Eric Seaman has commissioned. Now we need to maintain our resolve and turn out in even greater force for the meeting in two weeks, on Monday, May 5. If you were planning to speak tonight, please be sure to come back then, and bring a neighbor who was unable to come this week.
This is nothing but bad news for our opponents, because it allows us more time to solidify our arguments and make our position known, not only to the City Council but to the people of Columbia. As we saw, one of the few people to speak this evening was someone from the Benton-Stephens neighborhood who expressed his outrage that his neighborhood association had supposedly approved of this rezoning. If you know of others in the surrounding neighborhoods who opposes the rezoning, please encourage them to contact their neighborhood association and the city council to express their opinion.
Stay tuned for further developments! Together we are strong.
Martha K.
What a great deal!! A 24/7/365 day a year Hospital right in our FRONT YARD!!! What neighborhood wouldn’t want that?!!!
Thank goodness Fred Schmidt, pres of Benton Stephens, understands! Obviously, “…it’s the thing that fits better with residential than anything else they can hope for.” (Tribune, April 20)
WHAT ABOUT HOUSES?! CAN WE HOPE FOR HOMES?!
Get yourself (and as many neighbors as you can fit into your car) TO CITY COUNCIL DECIDING VOTE TOMORROW NIGHT (APRIL 21), BY 7:30 P.M. (We’re second on the ‘Public Hearings’ agenda after opening business.)
The re-zoning for the “LTACH” (Long Term Acute Care Hospital) at the corner of Alfred Street and Old Highway 63 comes before the City Council at its next meeting, Monday, April 21. If they approve it at that meeting, the development will go ahead.
We would like to get together as many of our neighbors as possible before that meeting so that everyone will know what we are doing to present our case to the Council. We hope you will come, and encourage your neighbors to come along.
The meeting will be held on THURSDAY, APRIL 17, at 7:00 pm
at the home of Martha John and Jim Downey – 2011 N. Country Club Drive
We hope it will be a fairly short gathering, but we also hope we can answer everyone’s questions and help get groups together to attend the City Council meeting.
See you on Thursday!
Even if you can’t attend the gathering on Thursday, or the Council meeting next Monday, let the Council know your opinions! You can send a letter or email – contact information available on the City’s website.
Martha K
Don’t forget to contact your councilman Karl Skala this Saturday at Coffee Ground!! He’ll be there between 8:30 a.m and 10:30 a.m.
Linda Hutton
