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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Please allow me to question one of Ms. Opyr's
assertions. In item #4 of her timeline she states the following:</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><FONT face=Arial
size=2> <BR><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>4. Three
evangelical Christians -- two former NSA students and one ex-member of Christ
Church -- filed a zoning complaint against NSA on the grounds that educational
institutions are prohibited in the Central Business District. Why? Because the
CBD was created to prevent the encroachment of the U of I on downtown retail
space. This happened in the wake of the U of I's purchase of the old Murdock's
Tavern and Cavenaugh's Hotel.</FONT></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face=Arial
size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT>
<DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><BR>This is not exactly the way it was.
Educational institutions are not prohibited, they are not expressly allowed.
Neither are Food Co-Ops or lock shops but since they are both motor
businesses, obviously they are a conforming use. In her following sentence
she goes on to explain why the CBD was created, but this does not seem to be
correct either. When the current city council set out to correct the language of
the code it was determined that the city attorney at the time the code was
changed had no recollection of intent to exclude educational intuitions. The
then community development director had no recollection of intent to exclude
educational institutions. The Daily News coverage of the process made no
statement that excluding schools was a part of the process. When the city
rezoned the Presbyterian church, the court house, the high school, and the 1912
building, the exact same language was interpreted to mean that schools are
indeed permitted.</DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">So, obviously, I am of the
opinion that N.S.A. should be allowed downtown but rest assured, I have at
no time felt the urge to kick anybody's teeth down their throat. I just think
that both sides of this issue should be looked at more dispassionately.</DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">As to buttons being pushed, mine
certainly were when I made mention of the dreaded feminine hygiene appliance.
While I in no way am willing to retract that comment, I am willing to be
slightly contrite to those whose delicate sensibilities may have been bruised.
In the future I will try to leave this sort of thing to General Patton.
After all she's a professional.</DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">With regard to Kathy's nerve
and Joan's choppers I must say I don't quite get it, but I do know that
if she had her willingness to get along and be a good neighbor,
vision2020 would be less contentious and probably better
populated.</DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">G. Crabtree</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=joanopyr@earthlink.net href="mailto:joanopyr@earthlink.net">Joan
Opyr</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=bbonte@moscow.com
href="mailto:bbonte@moscow.com">bill bonte</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, December 16, 2005 6:33
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] NSA/Verizon/Zoning
Trouble Timeline (was: Who startedit? Who cares?)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><BR>On 16 Dec 2005, at 16:31, bill bonte wrote:<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE>Speaking of who started it, what was the origin of the NSA
zoning mess. I have read vision2020 and the daily news for the past 2
years and I still am not clear on two points.<BR><BR>1. Didn't the realtor
who sold the building to NSA know that the planned use was a violation of
the zoning ordinance? Shouldn't she bear some (financial)
responsibility for this mess?<BR><BR><BR>2. Why didn't the city intervene
and forbid the use of the property as a college. Did they know what
was to be done with the property or was NSA's opening a surprise?
If I open a small grocery store in my garage, zoned R-2,
I'm sure I'd be issued a zoning violation citation and forced to
close.<BR><BR>I seems so simple to me: the CBD is not zoned for a
college, close them down!<BR><BR>Bill Bonte<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Hi
Bill,<BR><BR>This is the timeline of events, as best I recall:<BR><BR>1. The
Verizon Building was sold by Bennett Realty, specifically by Shelly Bennett.
(I may be spelling her first name wrong. Perhaps it's Shelley?) There was more
than one bid for the building, and Doug Wilson's was the lowest, not the
highest. Why NSA won is anyone's guess. A tax write-off for Verizon because
they sold to a non-profit. (Yes, I know; that opens up another can of
worms.)<BR><BR>2. At the time of the Verizon sale, New St. Andrews was located
-- illegally -- in the home of Chris Schlect on Polk Street. The City told
Schlect and company that they could not operate a college in this residential
zone. The college continued to operate in that location until the
Verizon/Skattaboe Building was renovated and ready to be occupied.<BR><BR>3.
NSA moved into the Verizon/Skattaboe Building. They did not get and do not now
have an occupancy permit.<BR><BR>4. Three evangelical Christians -- two former
NSA students and one ex-member of Christ Church -- filed a zoning complaint
against NSA on the grounds that educational institutions are prohibited in the
Central Business District. Why? Because the CBD was created to prevent the
encroachment of the U of I on downtown retail space. This happened in the wake
of the U of I's purchase of the old Murdock's Tavern and Cavenaugh's
Hotel.<BR><BR>5. Joel Plaskon ruled on behalf of the City that the complaint
filed against NSA was without merit or some such. (Mike Curley, the attorney
for the three plaintiffs, will perhaps supply the correct terminology.)
<BR><BR>6. Plaskon's ruling was appealed. The City Council then voted 4 to 2
that NSA could not, in fact, be located in the Central Business District under
current zoning code. <BR><BR>7. Someone or ones set in motion the current
attempt to amend the city zoning code so that NSA could remain downtown. I
attended several city planning and zoning meetings, ably chaired by Jerry
Schutz, who earned my eternal respect for his exemplary conduct of those
hearings, during which everyone was hot under the collar and pretty damned
feisty. He never lost his cool or, more importantly, his sense of humor and
proportion. (I think Jerry is a Republican, so coming from this Democrat, this
praise is high praise indeed.)<BR><BR>8. Planning and Zoning made a host of
recommendations re: amending city code to allow NSA downtown. The City Council
rejected those and bounced the whole thing back to P & Z, which worked
again on this thankless task. The fight now seems to be about parking rather
than a straight up-or-down should colleges be allowed in the Central Business
District. <BR><BR>I say no; some say yes; others don't seem to give a tinker's
damn. I envy the latter group because they're not tempted to kick one
another's teeth down one another's throat over this issue. I'm sure they fight
about other things -- whether or not Moscow needs a ring road; water mining;
the proposed ball fields. Who knows? We're all different, and different things
push our buttons. <BR><BR>(Mine are pushed by people who call my friends
"simpering douche bags." I'm funny that way. I also don't much care for
hectoring lurkers who get hold of the wrong end of the stick and then proceed
to lecture me on bullying. I'm glad I don't have Kathy Sprague's nerve in my
tooth.) <?/bigger><BR><BR><?bigger>Joan Opyr/Auntie
Establishment<BR>www.joanopyr.com<?/bigger><?fontfamily><?param Helvetica><BR><?/fontfamily><BR>
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