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rasin
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Posted: Nov 27th, 2006 08:24 pm |
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I’m on a bit of a high horse so excuse if things ramble a bit.
I am not sure what to make of the open letter to the mayor in this week's NO.
The idea that anything that will be built on the Craven property would come even close to low-income housing is pretty ludicrous. The discussion I have heard is the hope that something with a little bit lower price point might be possible.
Another point that I am struggling with is the comments about MacDonald’s and J.P. Looney’s.
To get a restaurant you have to have commercially zoned land available. Once the land is zoned anyone that wants to open a restaurant has pretty much the same opportunity.
Having a restaurant of the quality of Undercurrents, Southern Lights or Bert’s locating in Oak Ridge would be wonderful and I would certainly frequent them if they existed in Oak Ridge. I hesitated to mention names as they might not be “upper crust” enough so feel free to insert fancier names.
The land that MacDonald’s and JP Looney’s will be built on had been available for quite awhile before they decided to build and any of the above named restaurants or someone that wanted to open something like them had the same chance.
The undertones that MacDonald’s and J.P. Looney’s aren’t “upper crust” enough rankles me too. I enjoy going to many of the fine restaurants of the sort mentioned above in the area and would love to have one or more in Oak Ridge. At the same time I enjoy having Wendy’s and Elizabeth’s available too. If the town can’t support a business like J.P. Looney’s or MacDonald’s the market forces will handle it. The same thing will happen if a fancy restaurant comes to town; if Oak Ridge really wants it to stay they will support it.
The letter smacks of “Now that I live here, everything should stay the same and can you help me close the door behind me.”
Let me get off my horse for now.
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Baseball Buddy
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Posted: Nov 27th, 2006 09:14 pm |
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| Oak Ridge needs to be glad to be able to have such as McD's willing to come there and other places to sit down in and eat. Take a good look, Oak ridge has a NICE shopping center and stores. Compare yourself to Summerfield who will always have to deal with watershed issues and will probably never have a nice place to eat or a nice shopping center near the Town core. So stop complaining and be happy that you have some things you don't have to drive GSO for. As for up on a high horse I remember when nothing was in Oak Ridge but the Military Academy just a wide spot in the road before Stokesdale heading north.
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Bubba
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Posted: Nov 27th, 2006 09:20 pm |
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Be proud Oak Ridge. You are growing and still maintaining your small town feel. Love driving thru that area.
Might need to get a bike lane though 
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bama80
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Posted: Nov 28th, 2006 12:33 pm |
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| I would love to have JP Looneys in Stokesdale. I will be the first one through the door if it comes to oak ridge though. Can't wait.
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bama80
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Posted: Nov 28th, 2006 12:41 pm |
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| addendum to my previous post: I thought it was somewhat comical in the letter when they said that they did not want such a place so close to schools and the military academy. What do they think JP Looneys is? A strip club?! Its not like Looneys will serve the kids from OR elementary beers if they happen to escape from the playground!! Or maybe the letter was referring to the incredibly large TV's in Looneys? Maybe they are part of the "no TV in our house" group and are afraid the kids are going to leave the schools and go down there and watch TV... ... Some people kill me. One of you is mad because the OR sign is fading in color. Then the next person is wanting to know where the $1.07 is going to come from to fix the sign!! I wish I had that much free time in my life to get an ulcer over such petty things. .... anyway, I think I mumble the rest under my breath and not bother you all with typing it on here. enjoy!
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Roll Tide and Go Pack. Maybe or maybe not in that order. [insert profound quote here]
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Stonefree
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Posted: Nov 29th, 2006 01:54 pm |
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I will say that the only thing that sort of got me was the statement that, and i am paraphrasing, "The Craven property should have gone out for public approval". I am not sure if it is past zoning yet but basically public approval is always sought in the form of Public Forum debates at the zoning meetings and town council.
It burns my butt when someone wants government to be delivered like a pizza to their door. If you really feel strong enough about it to voice your opinions in the paper then you should also be following up by being involved in all aspects of the issue.
Government isn't a service provide by "other" people, it is a structure created by all citizens, and therefore is only going to function through citizen involvement. You can't just click your universal remote and change government, it involves getting your hands dirty. At the very least electing town council members you feel follow your ideals, and at the outside running for town council or getting on a committee yourself.
Stonefree
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Stonefree
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Posted: Nov 29th, 2006 01:55 pm |
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| bama!! 100% with you. In fact i will buy the first round, they usually serve Bass Ale on tap!
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Baseball Buddy
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Posted: Nov 29th, 2006 02:04 pm |
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| Round 2 is on me!!!
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rasin
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Posted: Nov 29th, 2006 05:38 pm |
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I agree, how much more "public approval" is needed?
I think there have been 3 or 4 meetings where the public had an opportunity to give their input on the Carven property. At the last Planning and Zoning meeting I don't believe anyone spoke in opposition.
No place that I have lived has a more open process for things related to the town. The town council doesn’t do much of anything without one or more citizen based committees giving it at least a sniff test.
Bass Ale, good!
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Starcatchr
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Posted: Nov 30th, 2006 01:45 am |
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| All you "Ridgies" should feel proud of the progress you have made toward building your town. Great shopping center.... and I must admit to a good deal of envy for your new town hall. Keep up the good work!
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DToney
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Posted: Dec 1st, 2006 02:09 am |
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bama80 wrote: I would love to have JP Looneys in Stokesdale. I will be the first one through the door if it comes to oak ridge though. Can't wait.
I had an idea to open a good ol' sports bar type restaurant in Stokesdale too... but doubt that'll ever happen...
Judging by the way the dang Mexican Rest in OR stays PACKED all of the time, you'd think because THEY TOO serve alcohol IT would be empty! I see folks in there rather enjoying themselves everytime I go in there...
JP Looney's or Hams would be nice!  (emmm emmm!)
(& to think... we have the still on our town seal...  )
Last edited on Dec 1st, 2006 07:37 pm by
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rasin
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Posted: Dec 8th, 2006 02:11 pm |
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At last night's town council meeting the rezoning of the Carven property was past without a word of opposition from the public. They did add a restriction that lots had to be at least 30,000 sq ft.
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macca
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Posted: Dec 8th, 2006 04:44 pm |
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| How big is 30,000 sq ft?
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Jim Flynt
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Posted: Dec 8th, 2006 05:04 pm |
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macca wrote: How big is 30,000 sq ft?
Macca, 30,000 sq. ft. is almost 3/4 of an acre or a square area with dimensions of 173 feet by 173 feet.
By comparison, an acre (square) is 209 feet by 209 feet.
Last edited on Dec 8th, 2006 05:06 pm by Jim Flynt
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S. Smith
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Posted: Dec 9th, 2006 02:59 am |
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Jim Flynt wrote: macca wrote: How big is 30,000 sq ft?
Macca, 30,000 sq. ft. is almost 3/4 of an acre or a square area with dimensions of 173 feet by 173 feet.
By comparison, an acre (square) is 209 feet by 209 feet.
Thank you for sharing that, Jim. I honestly didn't know that. I knew that an acre was about 44,000 sq. ft. Just goes to show how educational this forum can be. I think that's about small enough as far as I'm concerned.
Maybe all the opposition to the rezoning came out last month when the sketch plan was approved.
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