HomeMy WebLinkAboutPeter FornellMr. Mayor and City council,
I am not interested in arguing legality or procedure regarding the decision of HPC at 1020 E. Cooper. I can represent what I believe to be true about the decision if not overturned.
A decision against a fully conforming, 100% workforce housing project tears away all of the traction that the Affordable Housing Certificate Program has worked on for over a decade to
provide housing in this community. The program our community received a national planning award for implementing. How will any other property owner in any appropriate zone district
consider housing as the highest or best use of their property when they see the roadblocks set up by local government and the process. In fact, what will occur without overturning
this poorly made and arbitrary decision will be that the status quo will be back and property owners will only consider private sector free market development due to the inherent difficulty
in working in this housing arena.
If the Affordable Housing Certificate Program dies, it will be on April 19th by your hands. After all of you public officials ran on a platform of supporting workforce housing, that
cannot be a legacy that any of you want to leave behind.
Denying a 100% housing project that has no variances and saves a historic asset in any way, especially back to local living, is a crime against the community. A part-time volunteer
board is ill-equipped and has no place in the final land-use process in any matter, let alone one so critical to the community. Lower boards should recommend projects forward to the
elected officials we hire to do these jobs and if we as citizens disagree with you we can vote against you. Appointed board members should not be charged with these decisions unless
you would like their decisions to be a direct reflection on you and your political positions, then YOU will have to stand behind them. That’s where we are here.
Unless you are willing to stand behind the HPC decision publicly, as a matter you agree to as policy, you must reverse their decision and support a conforming project that takes all
of our collective concerns into consideration.
I wish you luck and God’s speed in your decision on April 19th. Our best notion currently for private sector workforce housing relies on you.
Peter Fornell