Let There Be Lights

From PCJ General Manager Betsey Krumholz:

How do we quantify community benefit versus neighborhood detriment? What do we gain and what do we give up? Who decides? and, Who wins and who loses?

Craig Failor, a planner for the Village of Oak Park, Illinois, has a real challenge before his board, and he graciously took some time to outline his community’s complicated and, apparently divisive, predicament.

The Village of Oak Park has a strong architectural legacy. Frank Lloyd Wright is a prominent figure in its history (his own home was built there in 1889) and the Village has taken great pains to preserve the homes and institutions associated with this distinct style. Oak Park (pop. 50,824) has committed enormous resources planning for its present and future, and is a proud, vibrant, and thriving entity.

But there is trouble in Oak Park -- and it begins with a project planned for the historic high school, which is bordered by a residential neighborhood. See photo below from Wikipedia.

The project calls for installing stadium lights in order to extend the hours during which teams can practice and play games.

The school’s administration, athletes, and others in the community argue that the lighted field space is needed to provide for games and adequate practice time for the myriad of boys and girls spring and fall sports teams. See Let There Be Lights!

But some in the neighborhood counter that further intrusion into the quiet of their evenings along with new Friday night football asks too much. See Village Board meeting minutes.

The following comments from WednesdayJournalOnline give a sense of how difficult this has been in Oak Park.

"But at last week's meeting, toward the end of the long session, neighbors and others offered public comments to the board, including objections and reasons for not installing lights, which they've made loudly and passionately to the school many times before in the six years since this idea was first proposed. They don't mind living next to the high school, and though they have concerns about Saturday afternoon games, they've learned to live with it. But they're drawing the line and won't sacrifice their Friday nights.

... Some of the neighbors also rejected the 'NIMBY' label. As the stadium lights saga has played itself out in the high school's board room, in village hall and in the local papers, both neighbors and school officials acknowledged the debate has turned political and even personal."

The planning issues alone are challenging. Historic preservation, zoning variances and amendments, setbacks, light and noise effects, and traffic are all on the table. School and village politics are at play. And neighbors who (presumably) have children in these same schools and on the sports teams are weighing their home lives against their community life, and against one another's values.

Being a part of a community involves some sacrifice from everyone, but it is a constant challenge for those involved in public policy to determine just how much.

At the end of the day, an honest, open discussion is what we all deserve as debates play out in Oak Park and across the country. Public officials are called upon to make very difficult decisions, balancing the interests of friends, neighbors, associates, and strangers.

With differing opinions about what growth and prosperity mean (and look like) we can’t all win, but we can try to conduct ourselves honorably. And we should also remember when quantifying what counts and what counts less, who gets something and who doesn't, that the impacts are felt by all.