Their appeal to the Zoning Board was not denied. The problem is that Cahill and Taylor had no say. The viewpoint the s/he promotes is important to consider in the overall scheme of things. The point is not that “B for Business” is wrong. Hopefully we will stop seeing the negative publicity in the More importantly, I’m looking forward to the positives that come out of this. News-Gazette and the stories about groups/organizations that are using backdoor efforts to convert multi-unit properties into single family dwellings. If this was an isolated incident I would be inclined to agree with you, but I know you have been paying attention to the big picture. I say this is an anti-development story because potential investors are realizing the hassles that await with even simple projects. Richard Cahill is a significant player in that movement. Even smaller projects that conform to zoning guidelines and that do not require demolition are subject to the harassment of the political activists. Trying to protest a zoning decision on a project that conforms to the zoning ordinance is definitely not pro-development.

Like “B for Business,” one of the Chamber of Commerce variety advocates who posts frequently on IlliniPundit:

But anyone becomes an activist when the bulldozers roll on to his patch. To people who don’t live on his block, he’s a whining activist. Like most people, he wants his neighborhood to remain pretty much as it was when he sunk all that goddamned money into keeping Urbana beautiful. But then the hammering and BEEP-BEEP-BEEPING starts.Ĭahill sought a hearing with the Urbana Zoning Board of Appeals. It seems almost pastoral, like it might go well with a cup of coffee. This is what he sees when he looks out the window at 7 a.m. Cahill and Gail Taylor woke up one morning to discover that their world was being knocked down to make way for an expanded apartment complex for drunk west suburban children. Then he also claimed we should have looked at the “Building Permits Granted” section of the The city attorney claimed that staff followed the rules and to add insult to injury, when we saw “work” started in May we should have questioned the process. Just thinking about this still makes me mad, and I have to look out my window and see and hear this every day starting at 7 a.m.! Gazette that is very far from a “Public Notice.” That is the BS of the “45 day protest rule” that ended the ZBA (Zoning Board of Appeals) hearing before it even started and allowed us to present our side of the story. All variances were granted with NO PUBLIC REVIEW or NOTICE by city staff.

There were never any signs posted for the variances granted.

This sign has sharp edges