My Take: Truths about the UDO
By Mary and Jay Wortley, Lisa Kasten, Linda and C.H. Falsted, Donna and Mike Short, Stacy and Cameron Hurd, Linda and Joe Dahm, Sally and Fred Floberg, Mary and Rick Armbruster, Wilhelmina Steketee
Holland
While we believe Ms. Slater and Mr. Ver Schure are well-intentioned, their article is rich in untruths and misrepresentations.
The most egregious is that “UDO isn’t changing what’s already there.” They claim current ordinances would change the character of our neighborhoods if left in place and that “UDO is just trying to fix that problem.”
This makes no sense. Why would the city spend tens of thousands of dollars and many man hours to evaluate and revise current ordinances if they are not seeking change? Current neighborhoods confirm that existing ordinances have been highly successful in that they have improved the downtown neighborhoods from undesirable areas of the 1980s and 1990s to neighborhoods with charm and character that are
Residents still unhappy with proposed zoning changes
HOLLAND In the face of public opposition to proposed zoning changes included in Holland s Unified Development Ordinance, the Holland Planning Commission, which has been directing the drafting of the UDO, has tweaked, walked back or completely removed some of the proposed changes.
But has the commission modified the proposal enough to satisfy the concerns of residents? No, they re not listening to us, said Fred Floberg, who lives in the R-1, or single-family residential zone district.
Many R-1 residents were angered by a proposal to legalize duplexes in their neighborhoods on lots of 10,000 square feet or larger.