Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Two Huge Deferrals at Tonight's Council Meeting

As expected, CM Lonnell Matthews indefinitely deferred his proposal to change the neighborhood plan and rezone Bells Bend to allow May Town Center, after the Planning Commission recommended disapproval almost two weeks ago.

As promised, CM Charlie Tygard deferred his bid to open neighborhoods up to commercial-style LED billboards, after the Planning Commission deferred his bill at an opponent dominated June public hearing to August 1. Tygard plans to bring the bill to Metro Council public hearing in November.

1 comment:

  1. I suppose "differed indefinitely" is a better outcome than a vote to approve the zoning change, but it does seem to me that it continues to leave a door ajar, if not outright open, to this coming up yet again.

    Remember, the planning commission did exactly the same thing last year -- "deferred indefinitely. At the time, I was seated in the hearing room next to councilwoman Megan Barry; I turned and asked her 'how long is indefinitely?' and she replied "forever." Unfortunately in this case, "forever" turned out to be less than year.

    So, with yet another "deferred indefinitely," the deranged plan for a "city in a cow pasture" does not die altogether. It conceivably breathes just enough to live again -- and the people of the Beaman's Park to Bell's Bend corridor must continue to live with the cloud of ill-conceived development hanging over their heads.

    There is a plan for the area. That plan should be adopted and implemented. And developments that diverge from that plan should be not have any reason to believe that they will ever again be considered by either the planning commission or the Metro Council.

    And the people who were instrumental in conceiving that plan should be able to rest comfortably in the knowledge that the rest of the county concurs with their design.

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