Council should have final say on zoning

AN ORDINANCE that is expected to be voted on at tonight's Springfield City Council meeting would remove the city's aldermen from the zoning decision process for many, if not most, new developments.

While we believe we understand the point Ward 3 Ald. Frank Kunz is trying to make, we urge the council not to adopt his measure.

Kunz's ordinance would give the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission the final say on the approval of a plat - a plan for the subdivision of a parcel of land. The city council would come into play, under Kunz's ordinance, only if the developer were seeking a variance from the normal zoning requirements.

THE ORDINANCE was drafted after U.S. District Judge Jeanne Scott last fall ruled that the city council's vote to prohibit Maulding Development LLC from building two warehouse projects - one on the far east and one on the far west sides of Springfield - was not appropriate.

Developer David Maulding had received approval of the planning commission, but aldermen were convinced to block the projects by residents whose property was close to the planned warehouses. Kunz argued vehemently to block the east-side warehouse project. And he was right to do so. We understand Kunz likely feels the judge's ruling has relegated the city council's subdivision approval authority to a rubber stamp, but that is not a good reason to cede authority to the planning commission.

THE CITY COUNCIL may have lost in court, but it was morally correct to stand up for the residents of Eastview Estates. Residents of this relatively new residential area were understandably upset that their homes could soon be located literally within a few feet of a 24-hour warehouse complex.

The problem in this case was not that the city council had involvement, but that it did not get involved enough. The ground where the residential development sprouted is zoned industrial and received a variance for the new houses. Once this happened, however, the nature of the area was drastically and permanently changed. An effort to downzone some of the surrounding area should have taken place. That's the kind of initiative best left to the city's aldermen.

ON THE OTHER side of town, the Southwest Springfield Neighbors Association, which represents 1,200 homeowners, now worries that Kunz's proposal could hinder their fight to keep a Wal-Mart supercenter from locating on Wabash Avenue, close to their neighborhood.

We don't necessarily think Wal-Mart should be banned from Wabash, but we do agree with the association's take on Kunz's proposal:

"The current subdivision ordinance works pretty well by and large, and it reflects the universal practice in Illinois and elsewhere that the approval or denial of subdivisions is a legislative decision of an elected city council. To delegate this function to an appointed body controlled by the executive branch of city government will be a tragic mistake. It would be a complete abdication by the city council of its power and responsibility."

WARD 4 ALD. Chuck Redpath expressed a similar sentiment last month, noting that while the city should depend on planning commission experts for guidance, the council should also reserve its right to have a final say.

"There's got to be input from the people, and we are their representatives," said Redpath. He's correct - it's one of the main reasons we elect our city aldermen.