Welcome to the suburbs, honey.....

[Downtown]

I've been off the boards for the last two weeks, because my community is in the process of doing a comp plan and we've been insanely busy inputting the community surveys. This is one of my new favorite quotes that I thought I should share

Q: In your opinion, what are the least positive aspects of the Town?

A: "Too many new, sprawling housing developments - takes away from the appeal of living in a nice suburban environment."

I thought that was what a suburban environment was - sprawling housing developments!

 

[tsc]

...good one...did Yogi Berra say that???

Welcome back!

 

[Big Easy King]

Great contradictory answer!!!

 

[michaelskis]

That is a good one.

It is like living in the forest and saying it is great, except those darn trees.

 

[Richmond Jake]

Our County is also in the process of updating the comp plan and we've seen stuff like that too. One response wanted the county to maintain its rural character by eliminating the planning department. Yup, that should do the trick.

 

[biscuit]

LOL! That's very Yogi Berra
Reading the odd comments is the best part of conducting community surveys. Reminds me of a survey I conducted while in Virginia where one of the open ended questions was something like, "What is one thing you feel (X Town) needs in order to improve the downtown?" Out of 300 or so responses there were at least 15 or so that answered, "Wal-Mart."

 

[donk]

Not that uncommon of response

I had to enter our questionaire. One question delt with shopping, nearly 20% of the responses said better shopping, like walmart.

 

[Planderella]

This quote, which was once stated at a public hearing, was a favorite at my old job:

"We have no objection to objectionable uses."

 

[Plannerbabs]

My favorite was the couple who wanted a "nice, sit-down family restaurant, like Fazoli's". Not that Fazoli's isn't a nice restaurant (bread sticks!!!), it just isn't the 1st thing that springs to mind when someone suggests a sit-down restaurant.

 

[DecaturHawk]

These were the three most outrageous bourgoise suburban statements I heard while doing time as a planner in the Chicago 'burbs:

1) I don't want my daughter to have to look out of our back yard and see RENTERS!

2) You are going to turn this town into another Schaumburg!

3) If I wanted to be able to see my neighbors, I would have stayed in Chicago!

 

[Cardinal]

My favorite was the couple who wanted a "nice, sit-down family restaurant, like Fazoli's". Not that Fazoli's isn't a nice restaurant (bread sticks!!!), it just isn't the 1st thing that springs to mind when someone suggests a sit-down restaurant.

Yes, the old "sit-down restaurant with a drive-through window" ploy. I dealt with that one.

 

[Super Amputee Cat]

These were the three most outrageous bourgoise suburban statements I heard while doing time as a planner in the Chicago 'burbs:

1) I don't want my daughter to have to look out of our back yard and see RENTERS!

2) You are going to turn this town into another Schaumburg!

3) If I wanted to be able to see my neighbors, I would have stayed in Chicago!

Sounds like someone from Orland Park!