Charlie Smyth Urbana City Council Ward 1	email: csmyth at charliesmyth.org phone: 367-2813 805 S. Coler, Urbana, IL 61801

Neighborhood Preservation
      I led the fight to create the current zoning between Busey and Lincoln, and will fight to continue it. Walking to work, I regularly pass the homes, apartments, dorms, fraternities and sororities, neighborhood businesses, and university buildings that make up this diverse part of our community. It is a truly unique area, and preserving it needs to be as important as development of other parts of Urbana.
      I support putting teeth into the current rental house occupancy ordinance, and closing any zoning loopholes that endanger established neighborhoods. We may need to consider limiting how R1/R2 single family homes are used as rentals, and possibly create a conservation district.
     I’m concerned about how some rental property is allowed to deteriorate, only to be replaced by something bigger and cheaper. While such property is decaying, it attracts crime and undesirable activities. We need to encourage home ownership as that helps preserve neighborhoods and keep down crime.

Campus
      Since roughly half of Ward 1 is made up of students living in dorms and rental property, supporting programs that help them is important.  Licensing landlords is one way that renters could know they are living in a safe home or apartment.
      Development of the Gregory Street complex on campus should benefit both the city and students by bringing people into the area. Additional foot traffic should also benefit adjoining business. We need to be sure setbacks are maintained and parking needs met so areas east of Lincoln are not negatively impacted.
      Residents should be able get out and about safely. We need to work with the University to revitalize the student patrols that helped with noise and safety in the past.

Economic Development and Smart Growth
     We have many housing classifications -- our business zoning classifications should be just as sophisticated and used to encourage business redevelopment within the city. If we don’t want to have to drive to the suburbs and strip malls, we need to have real neighborhood business zoning that allows us to control what, when, and how business operates.
     We must have compatible, planned growth that takes into account future transportation needs, and encourages walking, biking, and public transit. There is much we can learn from the evolved designs of our older, established neighborhoods.
     We must work to revitalize existing business areas such as Cunningham Avenue and the Philo Road corridor. At the same time, we must proactively develop big-box store regulations that reflect their reality and permit development in ways that guarantee future stability for surrounding areas and existing businesses, while also minimizing their impact on residential neighborhoods.

Downtown
     A healthy downtown must continue to be a priority. As the County seat and home of a federal court we have a great base to build on. We need to continue to work on filling Lincoln Square and surrounding properties with compatible businesses and housing.

Recycling and the Environment
      I led the fight to expand recycling during my last term. We need to continue expanding the fine work done these past years, while ensuring we have a good solid- waste plan that will reduce our environmental impact at a city level. Additionally, we need to protect open spaces, minimize urban sprawl, and stem the loss of prime farmland.

Urbana Free Library
      I will continue to serve on the Urbana Free Library Board, Mayor and Council permitting, to ensure that the library operation is properly funded and long-term needs are met.

Response to Sierra Club Questionaire