Editorial/Op

Now We’re All Confused

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       Last week I printed a hypothetical letter attributed to “Confused Councilman” in which an un-named Council Member from an un-named city was looking for advice on how to justify a seemingly inconsistent application of zoning laws.

    Now, in an eerily similar and real life case right here in Central, the City Council this week approved a rezoning request in “City Center” from “Rural” to “Light Commercial 1”, which I believe was an excellent decision.   However, that same request from a different individual for a property just a block down the street was denied last month….Now We’re All Confused.  Can anyone on the Council please explain this apparent inconsistency?
    In the first case Council Members Messina, Washington & LoBue denied the rezoning.  Consistency with prior zoning decisions was one of the reasons given.  In this week’s case that same objection was not raised….Now We’re All Confused.  Could a Council Member help us understand why?
    In the first case Council Members Messina, Washington & LoBue indicated that the rezoning was denied because they were planning on passing future zoning ordinances in “City Center” which might affect the zoning restrictions for properties in this area.  In this week’s case that same objection was again not brought up…Now We’re All Confused.  Could a Council Member please shed some light on this?
    These are not rhetorical questions.  These are questions that should have been addressed at City Council since “consistency” and “future planning” were reasons for denying the first project.  I am reserving space on this page in next week’s paper for any response I get from Council Members Messina, Washington or LoBue, the Council Members whose votes seemed inconsistent.   For their convenience, if there is any information they want the citizens of Central to have about their decisions, they can email them to [email protected] and I will publish them unedited.
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