More about Chickens

Just got an email from city senior planner Chris Wallace clarifying a few things regarding the chicken ordinance.

The coop and enclosure do not need to be covered by mesh.

While there is a minimum floor area, there is no minimum height for the coop. There is a maximum height of 8' for the coop.  The minimum height for the enclosure for the chickens is 5', not the coop itself.

More Beer

At least one of the retailers that received a liquor license at last week's city council meeting has already stocked in beer and wine.  Schuncks has converted the area at the front of the store that used to house their video rental area to beer and wine.  The Neighborhood Food Co-op expects to stock local beer and wine within six to eight weeks.

Arnold's Market is the business I expect to come out the big winner in this.  Consider:  all of the other recent recipients of a liquor license are located very close to Highway 13. Westroads and Schnucks will compete for most of the mass market beer and wine sales on the west side (Neighborhood Food Co-op, I expect, will not stock lines such as Keystone, Bud Lite and Coors, stocking local wines and beers, more in accord with its image but not drawing big crowds).  Meanwhile, Wal-Mart and Kroger will fight for the market share currently dominated by ABC, One Stop, Blue Fish  (assuming they mange to deal with the ownership difficulties) etc.

There is no place to buy liquor in Carbondale south of Wall Street and we have seen a significant growth in housing, especially student, in the Pleasant Hill Road area.  Liquor purchases tend towards the impulsive, i.e. "Let's stop and get a 24 pack on the way home" or "Hey, time for a beer run."  Since convenience plays a big factor in the decision and assuming Arnold's does not follow the Co-op's plan of stocking locally sourced beer but carries widely popular, the store should see a huge influx in sale as students (and others) stop there on the way home or head there when they discover they are low, as opposed to making the trek to the next closest location, Pinch Penny Liquors on E. Wall.

Sandwich Signs

The sandwich board signs that stood on the sidewalk advertising Esther's Clothing and La Unica Bakery have vanished.  I checked with City Planner Chris Wallace and found that the problem is they are both located on Highway 13, which is controlled by the Illinois Department of Transportation, as is Highway 51.  Ergo, any business located along Main or Walnut Streets heading east and west or the north and south bound University and Illinois, that does not have a setback from the sidewalk, must get an easement from IDOT or remove the sign.  The city can grant easements on side streets, which is why the Newell House finally managed to keep its sidewalk sign out, at least according to Wallace, by moving its sign around the corner onto Washington and getting an easement from the city.

Proposed Zoning Changes

From an email forwarded from the Arbor District:

Chris Wallace, the City of Carbondale’s Senior Planner, be attending the Next Neighborhood and Housing Action Group meeting, November 3^rd , 5pm, City Hall. He will present a power point on “Implementation Plans for the Comprehensive Plan”. Mr. Wallace presented this power point at the last Planning Commission Meeting. The presentation is on the City’s initial focus implementing the Comprehensive Plan—zoning ordinances. The City is in bidding process for selection of a consulting firm to assist in: restructuring and consolidating zoning districts; consistency in zoning ordinances, reviewing land use intensity system and site design standards. Please join, zoning issues are fundamental to preserving and developing safe and healthy neighborhoods.