Hey Aldermen Fioretti and Reilly (and others--yeah that means you too fat fuck Levar), if you're reading this then maybe you can learn a thing or two from Ald Stone about how to deal with shameless NIMBYism the proper & reasonable way besides simply catering to their every selfish whim:
From David Roeder's column in the
Sun Times:
50TH WARD FIGHT: Over the last two weeks, Ald. Bernard Stone (50th) twice has had angry crowds at his ward office for a meeting about a zoning deal. There were many things about the proposal for senior housing at 6917 N. Western that enraged the neighbors. It was height, number of units, parking, design. The battle had overtones from the hard-fought aldermanic election Stone survived last year.
Stone is moving the project through the City Council, starting the process Tuesday with an endorsement of the deal by the Council's Zoning Committee. He said concessions by the developer addressed the main objections.
Stone conceded people still don't like the deal, but ascribed that to stubbornness. "The meetings were very contentious because the people just don't want it. If that lot remains empty as it has been, they'd be happy," he said.
Because of the outcry, the developer, Dr. Muhammad Ghani, cut the size of the building from 96 units to 90 and doubled its parking slots to 67. He also improved access to the parking and for emergency vehicles and drop-offs. As for height, Stone's letting Ghani go with 72 feet, or seven stories.
"The current zoning allows 65 feet, so we're arguing here about seven feet," Stone said.
He said he's willing to accept the additional density because he likes that the housing is for seniors, a use he feels better suits the area than just another condo deal.
Neighbors, however, remain livid. Zachary Schiffman of the West Rogers Park Community Organization said many would like a building of no more than 50 units.
He said Stone has tried to discredit opponents with the "not in my backyard," or NIMBY, tag that Schiffman finds deeply unfair. He said the most important issue is that Stone makes zoning decisions in secret.
"If there were any central planning for the ward, this project wouldn't even be considered," Schiffman said. Stone denies the secrecy charge, but he operates without a zoning advisory panel that other aldermen use on the development-intensive North Side.
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