EXTRA, EXTRA, SPAR makes the new Special list - are you on it too?

[strider]

Here's the thing.

At the recent meeting about the Ability Housing apartment building the current Springfield leadership incited the residents partly by saying that there were 50 to 60 "special uses" and that they were destroying the community. Several people on both sides of the issue asked to see the list of those 50 to 60 "special uses".  When confronted with the information that there were really only 10 actual special uses, one of the people campaigning heavily against Ability Housing  said he had a list of 45 of these terrible, community killing "special Uses".   

This is his list.

There is lots and lots I could say about this list. And I probably will point out various facts but to begin with, I think I will just let the list speak for itself.

[sheclown]

Ironic, really, that the very floor boards which were being stomped (the Women's Club) on is on the list.  The list held up as detrimental to the neighborhood.

[ChriswUfGator]

You can shave the spots off a leopard but you'll never change the feeding habits.

It's in the DNA at SPAR.

[Springfield Chicken]

I guess I'm confused as to why this matters.  If the focus is on HELPING Ability Housing put a homeless facility here then I guess it does.  If you think it's a bad idea then why focus on anything other than the real issues. 

The facility is a bad idea for the people it purports to want to help.  Talking to people in the field and doing research shows that the "housing first" concept can work in the right situations.  It can work with the newly homeless.  It can work with the chronically homeless when services are available on site. 

The definition of chronically homeless that Ability has stated it is using as per the grant, is "homeless for over a year or 4 times in the past year" and disabled, primarily due to mental issues or substance abuse issues.  Warehousing these people isn't fair to them and the building will turn into a one stop shop for every drug dealer around.  This has happened elsewhere and it will happen here.

The grant is for 1.5 million dollars.  Looking at the budget it's apparent that the numbers have been padded to achieve the total of the grant, which enables Ability Housing to take a $112,000 'developer override' off the top. 

These are tax payer dollars, dollars that are intended to help the homeless, not the cronies of Ability Housing who perform the building management, the attorneys charging the fees, the construction company doing the unneeded work.

If, as Ability has stated, this is a landlord/tenant situation and therefore not a special use, then what they want to do violates federal Fair Housing laws.  You cannot discriminate for or against a class of people.  In a regular landlord/tenant situation the existing tenants would be allowed to stay.  Families with children could rent there.  Disabled and non-disabled could rent.  But under Ability's grant there will be NO children and ONLY disabled.  That's illegal.

To get around that they have to be a residential treatment facility or group home or some other special use. And those special uses are no longer allowed in the historic overlay.

Explain to me why the focus is not on THESE issues instead of anything else.  This is what's important.  Anything else is arguing for the sake of arguing and not about protecting our neighborhood.  All the yellow notices in the world wont' harm Springfield as much as this will.

[sheclown]

I guess I'm confused as to why this matters.  If the focus is on HELPING Ability Housing put a homeless facility here then I guess it does.  If you think it's a bad idea then why focus on anything other than the real issues. 

The facility is a bad idea for the people it purports to want to help.  Talking to people in the field and doing research shows that the "housing first" concept can work in the right situations.  It can work with the newly homeless.  It can work with the chronically homeless when services are available on site. 

The definition of chronically homeless that Ability has stated it is using as per the grant, is "homeless for over a year or 4 times in the past year" and disabled, primarily due to mental issues or substance abuse issues.  Warehousing these people isn't fair to them and the building will turn into a one stop shop for every drug dealer around.  This has happened elsewhere and it will happen here.

The grant is for 1.5 million dollars.  Looking at the budget it's apparent that the numbers have been padded to achieve the total of the grant, which enables Ability Housing to take a $112,000 'developer override' off the top. 

These are tax payer dollars, dollars that are intended to help the homeless, not the cronies of Ability Housing who perform the building management, the attorneys charging the fees, the construction company doing the unneeded work.

If, as Ability has stated, this is a landlord/tenant situation and therefore not a special use, then what they want to do violates federal Fair Housing laws.  You cannot discriminate for or against a class of people.  In a regular landlord/tenant situation the existing tenants would be allowed to stay.  Families with children could rent there.  Disabled and non-disabled could rent.  But under Ability's grant there will be NO children and ONLY disabled.  That's illegal.

To get around that they have to be a residential treatment facility or group home or some other special use. And those special uses are no longer allowed in the historic overlay.

Explain to me why the focus is not on THESE issues instead of anything else.  This is what's important.  Anything else is arguing for the sake of arguing and not about protecting our neighborhood.  All the yellow notices in the world wont' harm Springfield as much as this will.

Did you just ask "why is it important to tell the truth?"

[strider]

It just seems to me that regardless of whether or not you like the idea of Ability Housing here, you would want to make those decisions on the truth and facts rather than lies and innuendo.  From your post, Springfield Chicken, the truth does not matter much to you, at least in regards to this issue.   

All your rhetoric aside, what Ability Housing is doing, what they have proposed for this apartment building, is nothing but a legal use by right.  No amount of wishing will change that.  So you lie to yourself, you make up arguments that you use to make yourself feel better and then try to use those same arguments to make others believe what you want to be true.

The sad thing is, it doesn't work. It never has.  In the end, the Meeks, Trautman and even you cause more harm to Springfield than ten Ability Housing projects ever could.

[avs]

This list matters because it is being told to people in Springfield that these are all special uses and Springfield has too many.  These are NOT the special uses that are referred to in the a Overlay.  This list pertains to tax exemptions - NOT zoning and landuse - it's TWO different things.

If you can't get this simple fact straight how is the community supposed to believe the other statements being said??  Yes telling the truth matters and getting your facts straight matters

Creating hysteria in the community with inaccuracies isn't helpful and it creates mistrust.  If you want to fight against Ability Housing then at least get your facts straight, otherwise Springfield looks ridiculous.

The Community Orchard, Women's Club, ONH lots, etc aren't Special Uses, in zoning speak.

[sheclown]

This list matters because it is being told to people in Springfield that these are all special uses and Springfield has too many.  These are NOT the special uses that are referred to in the a Overlay.  This list pertains to tax exemptions - NOT zoning and landuse - it's TWO different things.

If you can't get this simple fact straight how is the community supposed to believe the other statements being said??  Yes telling the truth matters and getting your facts straight matters

Creating hysteria in the community with inaccuracies isn't helpful and it creates mistrust.  If you want to fight against Ability Housing then at least get your facts straight, otherwise Springfield looks ridiculous.

The Community Orchard, Women's Club, ONH lots, etc aren't Special Uses, in zoning speak.

Yes, my thoughts exactly.

We have to trust people we are willing to follow.  Regardless of the issues involved.

[Debbie Thompson]

Is this seriously the list in question?

[sheclown]

Is this seriously the list in question?

It is the list which was provided after inquires were made.

[strider]

It just seems to me that regardless of whether or not you like the idea of Ability Housing here, you would want to make those decisions on the truth and facts rather than lies and innuendo.  From your post, Springfield Chicken, the truth does not matter much to you, at least in regards to this issue.   

All your rhetoric aside, what Ability Housing is doing, what they have proposed for this apartment building, is nothing but a legal use by right.  No amount of wishing will change that.  So you lie to yourself, you make up arguments that you use to make yourself feel better and then try to use those same arguments to make others believe what you want to be true.

The sad thing is, it doesn't work. It never has.  In the end, the Meeks, Trautman and even you cause more harm to Springfield than ten Ability Housing projects ever could.

Better, Stephan?  It is what I meant to say to start with.

[strider]

The guy who created this list has access to a better search engine on the city data base than the general public does.  He was able to input the 500 non-profit codes as a search criteria.  He used four codes that matched certain key words he decided were important from the Special Use" category in the Springfield Overlay.

The codes were :

512   Charitable

513 -    Service Organization

514 – Benevolent Organization

515 – Affordable Housing

His purpose here was not to throw out some detailed list of non-profits but to hope that no one would read past the number of non-profits.  45.  A lot within one square mile.  Maybe.  But what does this list really represent?

It is 45 RE numbers.  One can quickly look at the list and see that those 45 RE represent only 20 non-profits.  9 of the RE numbers are empty lots and at least one more is nothing but a parking lot for the non-profit. 

Next, are there any real Special Uses on this list?  Yes, 3.

Alco Halfway House, Inc.  - main building, commercial building , empty lots. They have been here since 1963.  They also own two other houses -- one of which I believe is currently for sale but in the past it was a rental.

Alcoholic Service Center – main house and one empty lot. They have been here since the sixties.

Barbara & Grace, Inc.  - Main building and one other house next door.  The house next door is a regular rental.  Barbara & Grace as been at that location since 1987.

Let's look at how long some of these non-profits have been here.  How many predate the overlay?

Not counting the 3 above, I believe 11 of these non-profits predate the overlay.  Had they been truly considered "Special Uses" they would have been called such in the overlay.  They are not.

Metro North rehabs houses and sells to low and moderate income families.  Operation New hope, as a partner with Fresh Ministry (who has been here since before the overlay), redid the Kutho Apartments as their headquarters.  A huge plus for Main Street.

When you see the SIA, Sustainable Springfield, the Karples and even SPAR on this list, you see that it is not a list of anything but non-profits. It has no meaning in this discussion other than as an attempt at defending the statements from Meeks and others, statements that have proven to be untrue.

The bottom line here is that the non-profits on this list mostly have been huge positives to the community rather than a determent as some would like you to believe.

All I ask here is that if you are against what Ability Housing is doing, or any of the non-profits for that matter, is that you actually use the facts rather than make stuff up.

Springfield leadership had a chance here to be the heroes.  Instead, some are continuing to make Springfield known as the community who doesn't want heroes.

[02roadking]

To me, this is a bogus list. It's being used only to incite. Though I do believe that Chicken make's some valid points. 112k off the top. I think following the money and seeing who benefits the most from the grant is an important aspect in all of this. Where may one go to read this grant.

[strider]

To me, this is a bogus list. It's being used only to incite. Though I do believe that Chicken make's some valid points. 112k off the top. I think following the money and seeing who benefits the most from the grant is an important aspect in all of this. Where may one go to read this grant.

exactly...

[jaxequality]

Strider, have you actually looked at the financials involved with this project? Do you have any idea how much these people are making off this deal? Have you considered that there is a lot of backscratching going on here? Do you really think these people are trying for rehabilitating people or are they just trying to take advantage of free government money. Springfielders love veterans and homeless people but we deserve to be informed prior to a project like this, and the project should't be a taxpayer scam!