ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” story. It is an editorial by the editor.
“You can run, but you can’t hide.” — Attributed to American boxer Joe Louis.
Last Tuesday night’s Dorr Township Planning Commission meeting that probably set records with 75 in attendance left a message that would be easy to misunderstand.
The angry citizens who voiced opposition to rural events barns weren’t saying such facilities shouldn’t exist anywhere in Dorr. Rather they almost unanimously were shouting “Not in my back yard!” (NIMBY).
The voices spoke loudly enough to prompted the Planning Commission to table any action on the proposed zoning ordinance to permit “wedding barns” until the next regular meeting June 19. Commissioners rightly decided to take a little more time to digest the public input and allow Lori Castello of Professional Code Inspections to tweak the proposed measure.
Because what’s really going on here is NIMBY, the zoning ordinance amendment to be considered next month probably will include an increased minimum lot size requirement for such facilities and a minimum of space between “wedding barns” and residences and residential neighborhoods.
Perhaps one other area that has not been clearly defined is that many insist “wedding barns” are commercial entities, they should only be in commercially zoned parcels, but the very nature of the so-called businesses is agricultural. Customers are seeking a rural, farming atmosphere.
My prediction is that the Planning Commission will try to find a way to permit rural event facilities, but will regulate them so that they make sense and won’t encroach on citizens in the township. This may not be good news for Kevin Maurer, the first person to bring his ideas to establish such a barn, but his location, residents have asserted, is too close to a residential neighborhood. So perhaps the best he can hope for is to establish his location elsewhere.
The operating principle here, once again, is that economic growth cannot be controlled or banned, but it can be regulated. You cannot move to Dorr and other communities around here “to get away from the city” because others may follow you. You can run, but you can’t hide. You can’t stop it, but perhaps you can manage it with regulations on where it can be located.
I have lived in the same house here in Moline since 1953. It was a quiet little place with a small “Downtown” of a few stores, bank and even a soda fountain. Had 3 gas stations too. Big Box stores closed the small stores here. Gas stations were to small to survive the multi-pump stations nearby. Became of “Bedroom Community”. Then several small housing developments were built. Soon more wanted to move to the “Country” and a large Mobile Home Park was built almost in my back yard. The quiet is much more noisy now and the road is busy with traffic. Yup , can’t stop it and I can’t hide. But still I love where I live. Most of the changes we feared became soon a non-issue. Moline is still a great place to live.
You are trying to make NIMBY sound like a bad thing. We have the right to protect the peace and quiet of our small town. So, apartments and wedding barns, NIMBY please. It’s about standing up for and protecting the way of life we love.