Comments on: What to Do With DeVry?

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:24:48 +0000

I agree with Kim and hope at least part of the land is used to create a park–even a small park for the nearby residents. Sycamore Ridge and Decatur Heights don’t have any nearby park space for kids to play in. We have to walk over a mile to Glendale Park, so most kids play in a church parking lot alongside Sycamore drive where commuters often zip by.

In regards to its present zoning, I imagine the property could be rezoned to prevent a use which is now inconsistent with the surrounding property. And while the market will determine the price tag for that property, I think the buy-in of the city and neighbors is necessary. So I don’t imagine DeVry is marketing the property to cement factories and auto dealers. Let’s hope so, anyways.

By: E

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:35:43 +0000

Has anyone seen an estimated value or price tag for the property?

By: what it is...

what it is... — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:10:30 +0000

it’s an industrial zoned site. the by-right uses include th lovely options of open storage, a cement factory, auto repair, and an auto dealer (preferably one with an inflatable gorilla and those beautiful flags). while we’re potificating over public park space and public financing of land speculation, the market will take care of the use, whether the community likes it or not – it’s the land owner’s right within the industrial zoning entitlements. we might want to think of a market-based solution to the site and endorse that zoning change. if it’s not market-based, it’s not gonna happen.

By: Rick

Rick — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:22:01 +0000

It would be great to turn that area into parkland as Kim suggests…a lovely greenbelt on the edge of our city. It could be immensely beautiful. But I, like everyone else, naturally assumes that land has to be commerically developed as this land is owned by the Devry Corporation. And while we need Corporations as structures for work in order to make money to survive and evolve as a society, and while many good people work as part of Corporations that allows some expression of a certain culture and shared values, ultimately the Corporations key driver over everything else is survival by making as much of a profit as possible. So ultimately the Corporation, though often puts on a smiling face, is a sociopathic entity. It would never lower its asking price to the degree that funding could be raised for a park. Lets face reality.

By: Kim->CommunityRadar.com

Kim->CommunityRadar.com — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:20:54 +0000

Naturally it will cost big $$$ – I’m a big fan of government investment in real assets like land. Want to fund a new county program to promote “Green living,” count me out. Want to actually buy 22 industrial acres and re-hab it into public green space reserve and recreational uses, count me in.

If you think it is expensive to acquire that 22 acres now, just wait a generation and let’s see what the County (us!) can afford to purchase and re-purpose.