Does Terre Haute need yet one more huge bar? On the Heritage Trail no less?
A request for a special use permit has been submitted to the Board of Zoning Appeals to turn the old school house at Blakely and Locust into a giant tavern. This is completely inappropriate and detrimental for the residential neighborhood surrounding the old school.
While it is true that Blakely Avenue is a major street, the area between Locust and Wabash is lined with single family homes. It is an entirely residential neighborhood and it is inappropriate to locate a drinking establishment there.
The building has over 6,000 square feet. That is HUGE! A bar of this size can no doubt cater to hundreds of patrons, but where will they park? The available space on the property is hardly adequate. There are no sidewalks or gutters in the neighborhood. I can envision drinking customers parking on lawns, blocking alleys and otherwise creating a nuisance in this quiet, family neighborhood.
Some homes are located within mere feet or yards of the property. It would seem to me that property values on these family homes will plummet. Who would want to buy a home next door to a bar unless it could be had at a bargain price?
The nearby homes are not rentals or investment properties. They are homes owned by the people who live there. These people have invested their hard-earned money, time and effort to build a nice place for their family to live. How can the city allow that to be ruined by a bar being allowed in a residential neighborhood? It doesn't make any sense.
Finally, the Heritage Trail, used by many walkers, bikers and joggers, crosses Locust right in front of the property. The Heritage Trail is a lovely addition to Terre Haute. Why ruin it by putting a huge night club alongside it? This business will be open during daylight hours, particularly in the summer, when the trail is more heavily used. People leaving this drinking establishment, presumably having had a couple drinks, must exit the property almost directly on top of the trail itself. This should not be allowed to happen.
I urge the Board of Zoning Appeals to deny the special use for this property because it is detrimental to the city, the neighborhood and will affect property values. It is simply inappropriate to put such a large tavern in this location.
If you use the Heritage Trail or live in this neighborhood, show up at the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting to voice your concern. It will be held Feb. 3, 2010, at 9 a.m. in the conference room, City Hall, 17 Harding St., Terre Haute.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, voice your concerns by mailing a letter to Board of Zoning Appeals, 121 Oak St., Terre Haute, IN 47807.
Terre Haute needs stable family neighborhoods far more than it needs yet another place to get drunk. No bar on Blakely!
— Jena Martin
Terre Haute
Noisy solution to crow problem
In response to the letter from Toni C. Wilson (“Crow problem has gotten quite severe”):
A dear friend of mine has been shooting bottle rockets off for years and it works. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The crows used to light in my friends’ trees and cover the ground and cars with droppings. Bottle rockets are a type of fireworks that shoot up into the air (about tree-top height for a large tree) with a high pitch sound that ends with a loud bang. The crows hate them.
Every year my friend has to shoot two or three off and when the crows see his persistence, they don’t bother coming back.
— Lorie Case
Terre Haute
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