It’s no joke

To the editor:

What a joke! I attended a planning commission meeting on May 22. I went there a concerned property owner, protesting a re-zoning proposal for our neighborhood that will negatively affect our quality of life and property values.

I’m not sure what surprised me more: the condescending attitude of the commissioners, that the rules of discourse seem only to apply to those they aren’t really interested in listening to, being placed on the defensive instead of being listened to and respected, the fact that clearly, before the meeting, they had made up their minds what they were going to recommend, or the knowing nods, winks and clandestine conversations we observed being had between the developer in question and members of staff during break.

What an eye-opener this is to the inner workings of that faction of our city government! This particular rezoning proposal would place a big apartment complex right in the middle of a well-established neighborhood of single-family homes, creating an unwanted intrusion and major traffic problems. Bad zoning.

Watch out, public! If you have undeveloped land right next to your house, you may be next. And the planning commission won’t care what you think; it probably won’t even listen. The mere make-up of this commission makes it pro-development apparently at any cost. It’s pretty clear whose interests they are watching out for not necessarily the public’s. Who do they think they’re kidding? A joke, only it isn’t funny, and I’m not laughing, and next time, the joke could be on you.

Christy Stocks Atterberry,

Lawrence