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News :: Urban Development |
Wal-Mart Passes Urbana Plan Commission! Precious few days left to stop Wal-Mart! |
Current rating: 0 |
by Urbana Proud (No verified email address) |
09 Jan 2004
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The Urbana Plan Commission passed the proposal that will allow Wal-Mart to come to Urbana. The last chance to stop this proposal will be at the Urbana City Counsel meeting on January 20th. |
We all know the reasons to oppose Wal-Mart. If you want more information on this go to www.walmartwatch.com.
The Urbana City Counsel will vote to accept or reject the “Wal-Mart” proposal on January 20th.
Every citizen that spoke at the planning meeting was against the plan. Opponents to Wal-Mart filled the city counsel chambers. But this didn’t sway the Plan Commission. It passed 7 to 2.
Supporters on the commission noted that they couldn’t reject a plan just because Wal-Mart wants to build there. They told us that the time to make this objection was when the land was rezoned from industrial to general business. But at the time of the rezoning, we were told that the rezoning was not about Wal-Mart.
Are you feeling hoodwinked yet?
The proposal, called a preliminary plat, outlined the plans to provide drainage, streets, and sidewalks. The city can’t reject a preliminary plat just because Wal-Mart wants to build there. But there are serious concerns with the plat.
Downstream drainage is a concern. The proposed area floods often and there are concerns that this project could cause water problems to residences to the north and northwest. The planned drainage pond may be inadequate.
The largest store is planned to be as close as possible to the residences in the areas. Wouldn’t it be better to place such a large store further away from current residents?
The traffic study was based on a Wal-Mart and a gas station (which will be owned by Wal-Mart). But the plat clearly suggests that more stores are planned for this area. So the traffic study should have been for several stores and not just Wal-Mart. It is uncertain if the plat can handle the volume of traffic for several stores.
There were concerns that a street planned to run north-south located east of Highcross Rd. is too far east for sensible development south of where Wal-Mart is planned to be built.
Urbana’s comprehensive plan has not been finished. How can we plan like this before we have finished the comprehensive plan?
And lastly we are planning to have Wal-Mart be the eastern gateway to our city. Is this how we want to present ourselves?
Many on the Plan Commission noted that they couldn’t reject the plat just because Wal-Mart wants to build there. They noted that the landowner chooses whom he wants to sell his land to. Don’t let them uses this dodge to get Wal-Mart in! There are other concerns with the proposed plat as noted above. I my opinion these are good reason for the City Counsel to reject the proposed plat.
Contact your city counsel person and let them know you are opposed to Wal-Mart but more importantly that we have serious concern with the proposed plat as noted above.
You can find out who your counsel person is by going to the Clickable Ward Map at the Urbana City web site. Go to http://www.city.urbana.il.us/Urbana/ , click on counsel, click on clickable ward map, then click on your ward for contact information on your counsel person.
And show up at the Urbana City Counsel Meeting at 7:30 on January 20th at the City Counsel Chambers on 400 S. Vine St. |
This work is in the public domain |