paisleypiper's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a plea to our mayor Well, I have lots to write about. But today I am being CivicGirl, writing individual letters to all of the councilpeople and mayor about the ongoing struggle in our neighborhood. It seems like the protest of the eight-story building may have a positive result. Here is my letter to our mayor. I will update about the weekend tomorrow. -PaisleyPiper Dear Mayor of State City, I write to ask you to vote no on the Big Institution expansion this Thursday, August 29. As a resident and home owner in the Shopping/Entertainment District neighborhood, I am against having an eight-story building towering over my home, my neighborhood, the Shopping District and the Entertainment District. The Shopping District is one of our city�s greatest assets. Just recently, it was included in the Utne Reader�s top national destinations. As Mayor, you consider the desirability of our city as a place to live, as a place visit, as a place to operate a business when you make decisions about our city. Please consider all of these aspects in your decision regarding the eight-story building Big Institution proposes for my neighborhood. A tall building on the hill that overlooks Shopping District would be seen from the Shopping District and interfere with its skyline. A building designed not as it relates to the Shopping District or to its surrounding neighborhoods, but to be large enough to justify its expansion. In addition, this proposed building is based upon and must work with the already poor design of the current Big Institution property. When I look at the misuse of land that currently exists on the Big Institution property, I am saddened to think that this same institution would be given free reign to continue their poorly planned project in such a vital part of the city. The only reason they need an eight-story building is to compensate for their wastefully situated buildings on their large chunk of land. I cannot imagine our neighborhood of one and one-half and two-story arts and crafts style bungalows with a giant, eight story building towering overhead. This proposed building is completely out-of-scale with our neighborhood. I understand the dilemma between a building�s height and an institution�s footprint. However, there are issues to consider beyond this dilemma. The current Big Institution site arrogantly turns its back to our neighborhood and instead of facing our neighborhood, faces the corner of 43rd and President. Like something in Big Dumb County, it is set back from the corner, fenced off, and fronted by a parking lot. As residents, we have to drive around Big Institition because they blocked off Hill Top Street. Big Institution has lovely grounds and a park-like setting, but has fenced that off from the neighborhood and replaced neighbors with statues. Children in our neighborhood play in the vacant lot nearby and look longingly at the unused basketball hoop and the pretty grounds. This current expansion continues the trend of the institution turning its back to our neighborhood by proposing an eight-story barricade. Through collaboration and creative thinking, I am confident that other options exist for Big Institution to expand that would be more appropriate. Big Hospital has a building which appears to be sitting empty on President just south of 43rd Street. In fact, it shares a driveway with Big Institution. Perhaps there would be a way that they could use this property, increase their footprint reasonably, and lower their proposed building to four stories. The building on the north corner of 44th and President was for sale about three years ago, I wonder why Big Institution did not purchase it, combine their property with Big Hospital and contain themselves to the corner which they have already blocked off, if they have always planned to expand. This would have enabled them to propose an expansion more in keeping with our neighborhood and the surrounding areas. One of the major arguments for the eight-story building is that the residents would not add a great number of vehicles to our crowded traffic situation. I disagree. Retired people drive and an institution this size would attract many visitors and require a large number of staff. Currently, our streets are narrow, parking is crowded, and traffic is dangerous enough on 44th Street. An expansion this size will only make the situation worse. What is our assurance that people will want to make the type of investment that Big Institution hopes in light of the crowded circumstances in a small, dense neighborhood. Future residents of this facility will want to enjoy the surrounding area, be part of the community, walk down to the Shopping District � not hull up with potted petunias on a tiny balcony, between two other tiny balconies. The people Big Institution would hope to attract are people who have demonstrated a value for the State City brand of residential life. Seniors who want a large institutional complex will find plenty of that in Big Dumb County. Will Big Institution really be able to sell the proposed number of units they justify as having to have to survive? I am a long way from needing assisted living, but as a home-dweller I would find it depressing to move into a tall building with long corridors. I would make my investment in a building that looks and feels like home. I would invest my retirement savings on a place that is built on the human scale and is part of a neighborhood. And I do not think that I am out of step with most people. Certainly I am not out of step with current thinking regarding new urbanism and sustainable, healthy neighborhoods. I have been told that the Shopping District Plan permits an eight-story building in this location. It may be time to examine the Shopping District Plan again and think about our vision for State City. Our neighborhood is an important part of State City. With the number of hotels in our neighborhood, and our function as the bridge between the Shopping District and Entertainment District, and between the Hospital and the Shopping District, we have many tourists in our neighborhood. There are many nice homes in our neighborhood that are beautifully crafted and are classic State City. So perhaps, beyond even visitors, it is time for our city to recognize what Midtown could be and invest in that potential. Not a place with many, tight, cramped apartments; but an urban district on a State City scale. Now is the time, as more and more developers are looking to the Shopping District, to think about what communities need to thrive. In our city, I think we all know that we value green space, architectural beauty, parks, clusters of shops, and a residential, neighborhood feel. In our city, I think we all know that we do not value congested traffic, huge parking structures, ill-fitting institutional buildings, and a city that feels cramped and crowded. We already have a downtown that needs to be revitalized � let�s not build another one in Midtown. By making the hard choices that are better for the overall continuity and rhythm of our city, we can all win. I encourage you to vote no on the Big Institution expansion. Please save the Shopping/Entertainment District neighborhood from becoming a string of ugly, opportunistic high-rise apartments and condominiums. Sincerely, PaisleyPiper 2:24 p.m. - 2002-08-24 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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