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""But others said the need for a small area plan for the Utica Avenue corridor between 11th and 21st streets was important, as well, given the competing interests at work there. Two hospitals, St. John and Hillcrest, anchor the two ends of the corridor, while two historic preservation districts -- Swan Lake and Yorktown -- are located in between. A proposal to eliminate a zoning loophole that permits commercial development along the borders of the historic districts would have had a major impact on the ability of the two hospitals to expand, while neighborhood advocates have argued they should not have to worry about such commercial encroachment."
This hospital issue is a red herring, as is the issue of commercial development along the borders of Historic Preservation(HP) Districts. The real controversy has arisen over commercial development that crosses over the borders of HP Districts, to take place inside the boundaries of HP Districts.
The real issue is between the Bumgarners and the HP Districts, namely these deviant developers use of Planned Unit Developments(PUDs) inside HP District boundaries to subvert HP zoned properties in order to permit uses and structures that would not otherwise be allowed within the boundaries of an HP District.
BTW, I don't know where the two hospitals issue originates from considering that St. John's was the only hospital that participated in the discussion that led up to the six month moratorium on PUD's in HP Districts and the call for a small area plan(SAP) for the area. Unless Hillcrest plans on expanding south past 15th Street, they have no issues in regards to conflicts with HP Districts and shouldn't have any involvement with this small area plan, that is if the intention of the SAP is to address conflicts between HP Districts and commercial development as stated in this article.
One more thing, considering that two blocks of residential properties east of the hospital that are owned by St. John's hospital(which are still unredeveloped residential properties) were left out of the boundaries of the Yorktown HP district when it was originally adopted to accommodate plans for St. John's future expansion, their sudden "concerns" about their ability for future expansion are suspect and spurious to say the least.
UTW, owes it to their readers to tell it like it is, instead of just phoning it in by parroting the script of unscrupulous developers, conflicted city officials and other special interests who spin this issue to avoid an honest discussion. It's times like these I really miss the accurate reporting of GW Shulz, who once upon a time, graced the pages of UTW and elevated this weekly to a much higher standard."
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