Update from GlenEd Citizens for Fair Growth.
You may have noticed it has been quite a while since we've updated everyone on the process. The reason for this delay is simple: WalMart and THF Realty have repeatedly REMOVED their petition from the Village Board Meeting agenda. Why? Perhaps they realize how weak their position has become. Perhaps they realize the fact that they don't have an actual hardship to claim (required for a variance in Glen Carbon) might actually keep them from taking advantage of our village.
Apparently WalMart and THF feel ready to take on our Village Board and the citizens of this town. We say, it's about time. The Village Attorney has assured us that on TUESDAY JUNE 12 AT 7:00 pm, this issue WILL be addressed. We need you to come as well and make your voice heard. The more citizens who show their strong concern for this issue, the more our Board will listen!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Rally before the Village Board Meeting!
On Tuesday June 12 at 5:00 pm we will be hosting a Lookout For Glen Carbon, Cookout for Glen Carbon.
Please join us at Miner Park in Glen Carbon (behind the library on Main Street) in Pavillion 1. We will have free hot dogs, chips and soft drinks for everyone; plus buttons and t-shirts.
We will still be collecting signatures from anyone who hasn't had a chance to join the list yet. We will then head over to the Village Board meeting en masse and show THF and WalMart who has the power in this town, the people!
Please join us at Miner Park in Glen Carbon (behind the library on Main Street) in Pavillion 1. We will have free hot dogs, chips and soft drinks for everyone; plus buttons and t-shirts.
We will still be collecting signatures from anyone who hasn't had a chance to join the list yet. We will then head over to the Village Board meeting en masse and show THF and WalMart who has the power in this town, the people!
Response to Flyer Distribution
The recent flyer distributed in Glen Carbon was not officially sponsored by the GlenEd Citizens for Fair Growth. Please note the flyer indicates "For more information, visit GlenEdCitizens.blogspot.com"
We appreciate the flyer's message and encourage everyone to attend the Village Board meeting on Tuesday, June 12 at 7:00 pm. We also encourage anyone who would like more information on the issue to browse the topics on our website.
If you feel this expansion is not appropriate for our community, sign your name to our petition at www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopthesupercenter/
We appreciate the flyer's message and encourage everyone to attend the Village Board meeting on Tuesday, June 12 at 7:00 pm. We also encourage anyone who would like more information on the issue to browse the topics on our website.
If you feel this expansion is not appropriate for our community, sign your name to our petition at www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopthesupercenter/
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Update April 4, 2007
We must be getting to them! The Village has decided to commission a third and independent analysis of the parking and traffic issues at Cottonwood Mall. This is not the FULL IMPACT TRAFFIC STUDY we would like to see, but it's a step in the right direction.
The Wal-Mart expansion proposal has been taken off the agenda for the April 10th Village Board meeting. This is a good sign and indicates that the Trustees and Mayor are taking the concerns of their residents very seriously. Each Trustee has been asked to review a large packet of information and submit questions to the Mayor.
Give them the questions to ask. Contact your Village Officials and tell them your concerns. Make sure they address each one of them.
We will notify every resident when the proposal is back on the agenda and the meeting date and time so we can show the Board how we feel in person.
THIS is the power of people; use it and make it strong. We can say no to Wal-Mart, we will show them that the Village of Glen Carbon has more power than a giant corporation with no concern for our community.
The Wal-Mart expansion proposal has been taken off the agenda for the April 10th Village Board meeting. This is a good sign and indicates that the Trustees and Mayor are taking the concerns of their residents very seriously. Each Trustee has been asked to review a large packet of information and submit questions to the Mayor.
Give them the questions to ask. Contact your Village Officials and tell them your concerns. Make sure they address each one of them.
We will notify every resident when the proposal is back on the agenda and the meeting date and time so we can show the Board how we feel in person.
THIS is the power of people; use it and make it strong. We can say no to Wal-Mart, we will show them that the Village of Glen Carbon has more power than a giant corporation with no concern for our community.
Friday, March 30, 2007
What Can I Do?
It is time for you and I to act. Our Village officials must understand how stongly we feel about this issue. Do as many of the following as you can and get your neighbors to do the same.
Contact your Village Officials Their names and contact info can be found at the bottom of this page.
Sign our e-petition. Follow this link and then forward the link to others: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopthesupercenter/
Attend the Village Board meeting when the expansion is addressed. We will notify you by email if you wish, we will post the date on this website and we will send out a flyer to each residence. Whether you address the board yourself or just show your support for those who do, let your voice be heard.
Any citizen can address the board; stand up and simply tell them that you don't want a WalMart SuperCenter and why. The more residents they hear from, the more likely it is they will find a way to "just say no."
However you contact your officials, in person, by phone, email, or letter; you must tell them WHY you don't want the SuperCenter. They will not respond to statements with no back up. So tell them: too much traffic, crowded parking lot, loss of small businesses, too many grocery stores...they will listen when enough of us speak out.
Vote for the following candidates for Village Trustee on April 17:
Phil Morris
Joe Micheletto
Margaret Moggio
John Navin
Contact your Village Officials Their names and contact info can be found at the bottom of this page.
Sign our e-petition. Follow this link and then forward the link to others: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopthesupercenter/
Attend the Village Board meeting when the expansion is addressed. We will notify you by email if you wish, we will post the date on this website and we will send out a flyer to each residence. Whether you address the board yourself or just show your support for those who do, let your voice be heard.
Any citizen can address the board; stand up and simply tell them that you don't want a WalMart SuperCenter and why. The more residents they hear from, the more likely it is they will find a way to "just say no."
However you contact your officials, in person, by phone, email, or letter; you must tell them WHY you don't want the SuperCenter. They will not respond to statements with no back up. So tell them: too much traffic, crowded parking lot, loss of small businesses, too many grocery stores...they will listen when enough of us speak out.
Vote for the following candidates for Village Trustee on April 17:
Phil Morris
Joe Micheletto
Margaret Moggio
John Navin
Update
Last Tuesday, March 20, our Planning and Zoning Commission failed to heed concerns regarding parking and traffic issues and voted 5 to 1 to move the WalMart expansion plan forward. It is now up to the Village Board of Trustees and the Zoning Board of Appeals whether or not WalMart and THF Realty destroy Cottonwood Mall, remove small businesses from our community and add to the traffic problems that already exist.
The Village Trustees and Mayor insist that it is not within their power to simply deny the proposal, as it meets all our existing Ordinances. If our Village Board were to deny the proposal, WalMart would have a legal basis to sue our Village.
But the WalMart expansion proposal does NOT meet our Ordinances. WalMart/THF have requested a variance for the parking lot. Do you know that the current WalMart store already has a variance that allows them to provide FEWER spaces than those required by our laws? And now they are requesting a further variance to provide an even lower percentage of the required parking spaces for their new SuperCenter.
Fewer spaces and more cars...
In addition, the traffic report submitted by Crawford, Bunte and Brammeier traffic engineering firm states that the increase in traffic will have minimal impact at any specific entrance. Really? That's amazing, since according to their own report the new SuperCenter will result in a net increase of 4,670 trips daily. An additional 4,670 trips in and out of Cottonwood per day will have minimal impact? This is the traffic report our Planning and Zoning commission used to make the decision to approve WalMart's site plan.
We are demanding that our Village require a FULL TRAFFIC IMPACT study before they even consider voting on the propsed expansion. Please call and email your Trustees and insist that a full traffic impact study be performed to insure the right decision is made for our community.
And the Zoning Board of Appeals can stop this fiasco in its tracks. The parking lot variance does NOT have to be approved! If the Board of Appeals fails to grant the variance, WalMart cannot expand and there is no legal recourse they can take. A business cannot force our community to lower their zoning practices and standards; these laws were established for the good of our citizens. All we need is for our Zoning Board of Appeals to uphold our communities standards and our town keeps out a SuperCenter that will destroy businesses and increase traffic hazards in our Village.
The Village Trustees and Mayor insist that it is not within their power to simply deny the proposal, as it meets all our existing Ordinances. If our Village Board were to deny the proposal, WalMart would have a legal basis to sue our Village.
But the WalMart expansion proposal does NOT meet our Ordinances. WalMart/THF have requested a variance for the parking lot. Do you know that the current WalMart store already has a variance that allows them to provide FEWER spaces than those required by our laws? And now they are requesting a further variance to provide an even lower percentage of the required parking spaces for their new SuperCenter.
Fewer spaces and more cars...
In addition, the traffic report submitted by Crawford, Bunte and Brammeier traffic engineering firm states that the increase in traffic will have minimal impact at any specific entrance. Really? That's amazing, since according to their own report the new SuperCenter will result in a net increase of 4,670 trips daily. An additional 4,670 trips in and out of Cottonwood per day will have minimal impact? This is the traffic report our Planning and Zoning commission used to make the decision to approve WalMart's site plan.
We are demanding that our Village require a FULL TRAFFIC IMPACT study before they even consider voting on the propsed expansion. Please call and email your Trustees and insist that a full traffic impact study be performed to insure the right decision is made for our community.
And the Zoning Board of Appeals can stop this fiasco in its tracks. The parking lot variance does NOT have to be approved! If the Board of Appeals fails to grant the variance, WalMart cannot expand and there is no legal recourse they can take. A business cannot force our community to lower their zoning practices and standards; these laws were established for the good of our citizens. All we need is for our Zoning Board of Appeals to uphold our communities standards and our town keeps out a SuperCenter that will destroy businesses and increase traffic hazards in our Village.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Zoning & Planning Meeting Tuesday!
We have the momentum. We have the people. And most importantly, we have the the facts on our side! But none of that will matter if we don't show up on Tuesday for the Zoning & Planning Commission's re-hearing of the Wal-Mart expansion on Tuesday. A magically manifested traffic study will be present with some...interesting findings to say the least.
Come and sign up to speak. Get the facts. Let the village know that from now on, they can't just impose their vision of Glen Carbon on us!
Oh, and expect some fireworks. If nothing else, it will be interesting.
Come and sign up to speak. Get the facts. Let the village know that from now on, they can't just impose their vision of Glen Carbon on us!
Oh, and expect some fireworks. If nothing else, it will be interesting.
Zoning & Planning Meeting
Tuesday, March 20th
7pm
Village Hall, 151 North Main Street
Tuesday, March 20th
7pm
Village Hall, 151 North Main Street
*As a service, we've posted the text of Wal-Mart's "traffic study" below, back-dated to 1/1/07 to keep it from filling up the page. The date on the report is March 8th.
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