Fellow blogger Janet Wintersberger recently echoed my sentiments that the Plan Commission rarely seems to listen to resident comments regarding development.
She wrote, regarding the proposed Fountain Brook Crossing, "Twenty-nine (of the 30) attendees' comments were negative." The proposal got the nod anyway.
Our opinions did not matter when it came to widening Calhoun Road south either. I think there were 51 negative comments out of 54 left at one of the Open Houses. No matter, Calhoun is being widened.
So it seems our opinion seldom counts with the city or plan commission. But there has been one exception. (Janet's posting triggered my memory.)
Remember last year when the Fresh Market went up?
Every day it seemed they added a new color or texture to its hodge-podge exterior.
Then the GOLD trim paint went on.
That color choice did not sit too well with some people.
The brighter gold was then painted over with a slightly more subdued color.
Why?
Because 12 people complained to the mayor.
Twelve people?
It must have been newsworthy because there was even an article about it.
"Mayor Jeff Speaker said Thursday that he received about a dozen complaints about the color..."
Now, I really don't know how anyone could so vehemently object to the gold trim on the Fresh Market and not also strongly object to Flemmings, which is painted a color I can only politely call raw umber. (I have heard it referred to as many other things, none of which I can put into print.)
Why would the mayor jump in response to just 12 people's complaints when at other times our concerns fall on deaf ears?
A family member summed it up well, "It must have been the right 12 people!"
Flemmings, part of the Moorland/Bluemound gateway the City wanted you to say "WOW" about.
Links: Betterbrookfield, Vicki Mckenna
