Becky,  I was in no way slamming you - sorry if it came off that way.  What I was trying to say was that if he had contacted you or someone else about the development you _would_ have posted something here!  Obviously, this came as a complete surprise to you, too, since there had been nothing on this forum.  You are _very_ good about keeping us up to date on what's going on around the neighborhood.  Again, sorry if you thought that I was aiming my critisim at you - it was all aimed at our - in my opinion - inept alderman.

I have sat here for the past 2 years waiting for something to be done with this property.  I see were people are coming from wanting to building to fit in with the ones across the street, but at the same time wouldn't everyone rather see something built there than keep looking at an empty lot that grass grows as high as your knees!!!!  i personally think that people need to stop being so picky and think about this a little bit more.  Would you rather have something be built there or keep looking at a vacant lot with tall grass?  Which is going to make the neighborhood look worse?  I agree with someone who said something about maybe putting some kind of commercial place in there maybe.  Maybe if someone wanted to put in a little deli or ice shop or something.  A place people will actaully go.  Not an antique shop or knitting store, but something beneficial to the neighborhood.  If people in the neighborhood keep turing everyone down who comes in with ideas then the property is going to stay vacant forever because no one is going to come in with proposal anymore if they know everyone else keeps getting turned down.  Its a waste of their time and money.  I would just REALLY like to something go in here.  I am glad that the hole and concrete has finally been fixed there, at least now it looks a little more presentable.  If I have offended any one I am sorry, but I think that this vacant lot is making our neighborhood look trashy, and if it looks trashy then people are going to keep coming in here thinking thats what our neighborhood is like, and it is not.  I have lived here my whole life and I don't want the neighborhood to go down and its starting to little by little.  Its still a great neighborhood, but we need to keep the bad out.

Alderman Waterhouse did not state why Mr. Ridings pulled out.  I guess it could have been because it took so long to approve the proposal.  I think that the vote last month in favor of the project surprised people - like Becky said those in favor of it were not very vocal.  But I see it as possibly what jesslew suggested - that people are tired of seeing an empty lot there.  And to those that want to put a small business there, that's great, but finding someone to do that is obviously not easy.  Actually, Mr. Waterhouse stated that really anybody could put anything up on that lot - only if they need to change the zoning do they need his (or he the neighborhood's) approval.  So, I also suggest that we stop being so picky about this spot - we could do much worse than the proposal that CHNA just approved - and yep, I think we are getting a bad reputation as a neighborhood that people don't want to deal with.

Mr. Ridings, when being bombarded with questions about his proposal last month, suggested that we get the City to build a park there - it was sort of muttered by him probably out of frustration.  I would certainly rather see us get tax dollars out of this property.  Actually, I hope Mr. Ridings was probably very surprised by the outcome of last months vote - I hope he's alright healthwise.

I didn't take it as a slam at all, just saying I didn't know. No offense taken. From what I understand Mr. Ridings is not well, but I don't have any details.  I pass along any information I have, which at this point is zero.  I will email to the distribution list and post here anything I receive.   

what about a neighborhood/community garden?