August 3, 1998
Dear Fellow Forest Park Resident,
How would you react if suddenly three adjacent properties on your street were rezoned to allow for heavy, highway oriented business?
This is exactly what has occurred on Crystal Avenue. Let us give you the background.
Crystal Avenue Zone Change Approved:
Belmont Laundry has owned three houses on Crystal Avenue for many years and over time has allowed these properties to become a blight in the neighborhood. At the FPCA Board meeting in March, Belmont Laundry announced that it would seek a zone change to allow for a garage for its trucks to be built after these houses are demolished as well as industrial water storage tanks. The zone change from Residence B (one or two family homes) to Business B permits heavy, highway oriented business use.
After learning of these plans, the residents of Crystal Avenue banded together to oppose this change: Through letters and phone calls they urged every City Councillor to oppose the zone change. For public awareness they picketed in front of Belmont Laundry. The Forest Park Civic Association joined these efforts as did the Citizens for a Better Springfield. Despite hundreds of hours of citizen activism, the City Council voted 7 to 2 in favor of the zone change. Only Tim Ryan and Barbara Garvey voted with the neighbors.
Legal Action the only Recourse:
There is only one way to save the integrity of Crystal Avenue as a residential street. The zone change can be challenged in court as spot zoning. This is a very expensive undertaking but after careful consideration the Forest Park Civic Association has voted to commit its full financial resources to fight this zone change. The residents of Crystal Avenue have held a tag sale, bake sale and car wash to contribute to the cause.
What will this legal battle cost? Discussions with several lawyers put the estimate at $12,000 to $15,000...more than the available resources.
You Can Help:
For only the second time in 35 years, the Forest Park Civic Association is turning to friends and members to ask for financial help. The need is immediate.Our goal is $8.000. A donor has come forward with an offer to matching funds up to $3000. So we must raise $5.000. We can achieve this goal if 50 people make gifts of $100. We are asking that you consider what you can do. Obviously larger gifts will move us to our goal more quickly, but gifts of any amount will be gratefully received. More traditional fund raising efforts will occur in the fall and spring but the urgency of this matter compels us to turn to you for help today.
The history of the Forest Park Civic Association is rooted in strong activism including legal action. The FPCA’s first legal battle in 1963 successfully protected the residential streets south of Sumner Avenue from the same kind of spot zoning as now threatens Crystal Avenue. While you might not personally feel the impact of this zone change on Crystal Avenue, it is our collective strength which has preserved our neighborhood as a wonderful place to live.
This is why we hope you will make a donation to the Forest Park Civic Association legal defense fund. If you have questions about this or would like to make a comment, please contact any of us. In advance, thanks for your support.
Sincerely,
Mike Doyle, Zoning Chair Bill Malloy, FPCA President
Bob Triggs Pat Triggs
Russ Seelig Fred Noel
Cindy Van Rensalaer Paul Sears
P.S. Please make checks payable to the Forest Park Civic Association and mail to:
Forest Park Civic Association
Box 80840
Springfield, MA 01138-0841