HPPC, Neighbors Get Closer to a Compromise
Neighbors for the Preservation of the Neighborhood, a steering committee in opposition to a proposed parking lot at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, has this to say about Wednesday’s meeting at HPPC.
Some new dirt, lifted from the blog link above:
Church representatives discussed pursuing one of the alternatives originally suggested by neighbors 18 months ago: working with the City of UP to allow parking (on Sunday mornings only) along curbs that are currently marked ‘No Parking.’ The neighbors strongly support this idea and offered to go with HPPC representatives to meet with City officials regarding this request.
The discussion then turned to the underground parking alternative that [UP Planning and Zoning Commission] Chairman [Bob] West asked the church to investigate after its initial August 10 presentation. HPPC has done some preliminary investigation into an underground parking lot and showed neighbors some early sketches of the plan.
…While the neighbors are not convinced that HPPC “needs” a parking lot at all … they are willing to compromise with the idea of an underground lot …
So. Who’s going to the P&Z meeting on Oct. 12?
Wow. 18 months and a neighborhood full of hacked off residents and they finally decided to look into the very cheap and least invasive idea of allowing them to park in no parking areas on sundays. I really had more faith in HPPC’s leadership. Considering I get the monthly/quarterly? letter requesting extra donations because we still are over budget; I am dumbfounded and on the verge of being disgusted that they would not have more seriously considered or even considered at all this cheap solution.
For clarity’s sake, the possible compromise relates solely to underground parking on HPPC’s existing block, the 3800 block of University/McFarlin. The neighbors remain firmly opposed to any parking or commercial uses on the Single Family Block (the 3900 block of University/McFarlin between Shannon and Westwick). The block is zoned Single Family (SF2 & SF3) and should only be used as permitted by U.P. City Code. HPPC obviously knew of the zoning when it purchased those properties and it should respect Code requirements. I’m sure it’s been a great investment for HPPC. Maybe they should sell some or all of the property and use it to pay for underground parking and create an endowment.
@AvidReader, I totally agree. It’s hard to believe that HPPC would have dug in its heels for this long and NEVER even look into the cheap-o solutions the neighbors have offered up, like getting back some ‘no parking’ spaces from the city of UP, shuttles to the HPHS garage, etc. Can’t believe the church leadership wouldn’t favor these other options in the first place. And the fact that they’ve allowed this issue to fester for so long and cause such a stink in the community, well, it just doesn’t seem very church-like to me.
I’d love to see an estimate of UP city staff effort (which equal tax dollars) put into this issue. Any guesses? 100 person-hours? 1000? Mayor should have snapped this in two before it ever got legs, much like the “Mockingbird tunnel”.
In addition to all of the City hours and expenses think of the thousands and thousands of hours put in by the Steering Committee and other neighbors and the expenses they have incurred over the last 18 months.
This effort on the part of the church is quite refreshing, if a long time coming! Park under their own lawn? Brilliant! Sell the houses they own to pay for the underground garage…AND to feed the poor, get fresh water to villages in Kenya, care for orphans in Romainia and continue to make disciples of Jesus Christ in Cuba, South America, Africa and around the world! (Who knows? Maybe they’ll even show some Christ-like kindness to their neighbors here at home in the process! That, I’m sure, would be refreshing to the neighbors!)