Update: City Council sent it back to the Plan Commission for further cooperative deliberation with Shodeen. Plan Commission was instructed to not consider the height, mass, or general design of the building, as Council has declared those aspects a done deal.

On March 15, the Batavia Plan Commission unanimously rejected the design for the massive Shodeen apartment complex proposal at Washington and Wilson in downtown Batavia. Shodeen is appealing to the City Council this Tuesday, April 11, 7:30pm (Agenda here).

The Plan Commission recommended public comments be brought straight to the City Council regarding the design, rather than take up more of their time at the Plan Commission meeting. It’s not fair that the PC holds public hearings and listens to the public, only to have the City Council overturn their decisions without being required to hear what their constituents have to say. So if you have any final comments about the building, please bring them to the City Council Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday. The design–size, color, shape, materials, etc.–could be finalized after this Tuesday’s COW meeting and then the official vote, presumably at the next City Council meeting the following Monday. The COW is where most discussions take place. City Council meetings are usually rubber stamp time. (Information packet for the appeal is here)

It is obvious Shodeen is making an end-run around the Plan Commission (Shodeen didn’t even bring in samples of materials, as every other developer does, for the Commission to review, and they got approval from the Council of “Option 2” before having gone through the Plan Commission whose job it is to review design and whose vote on design is binding, though appealable). They’re going to a Council that has already indicated they will ram this thing through no matter what. So if it’s already a done deal, why bother to comment? Because if you don’t take the time to comment, you forfeit the right to complain when it’s built.

If you can’t make Tuesday’s COW or the Monday Council meeting where it will be finalized, you can email comments using the “City Council” button at right.