Dear
Chairman Bohl and other members of the Zoning, Neighborhood and Development
Committee,
I am
the Executive Director of the Council for the Spanish speaking, Inc. with
administrative offices on 614 W. National Ave, and services to children,
families and the elderly in 18 different locations in Milwaukee.
I
respectfully oppose your approval of item #3 on the agenda of the Zoning,
Neighborhood and Development Committee of June 5, 2012.
This
item specifically refers to a “Substitute ordinance relating to the change in
zoning from Industrial-Heavy to Industrial Mixed, to expanded permit uses, on
lands located on the northwest corner of South 12th Street and West
Pierce Street, in the 12th Aldermanic
District.”
This
item involves a request for permanent variance that would allow the owner to
rent his renovated facility, previously an industrial building in an industrial
zone, to any one or any organization that would allow him to recover his
investment.
Such an
expectation is not unreasonable, and we should not be against investors or any
other individual who makes an investment to be able to recuperate on his
investment. The concern I bring before you, however, is that granting such a
variance allows the owner of this property to rent space for purposes of
establishing on such premises a school for elementary school children in a heavy
industrial area and, as I understand it, above an air gun target practice
business.
We
opposed this action because it allows the creation of a school in a highly
unsafe area. There are serious issues regarding the safety and welfare of the
children—ages 2 to 18+—who would occupy this school for the better part of a
school day. This neighborhood and its industrial activities and buildings are
not at all conducive to any type of safe educational activity, especially if it
involves small children.
No
variance should be allowed that places children at risk in this facility. No
school should be allowed in these premises.
We
fully understand the difficulty faced by this Committee on this matter,
especially when this city needs to be concerned about promoting economic
development, neighborhood improvement, and job creation. We are also sympathetic
to an investor’s interest in recuperating costs. But we also wish the Committee
to consider our concern for the safety of children and families.
This
Committee should not approve a variance that places children at risk. It needs
to establish policy that ensures that a facility which is re-zoned (as indicated
by the above) does not rent or create a school that places children at risk.
We live
in a World where we must oppose any attempt to create schools that increase the
inequality that unfortunately characterizes the schools attended by the poor and
children of color. The children of the wealthy would never send their children
to a school in an industrial and unsafe location. I would suggest that the
members of this Committee would never enroll their own children in this unsafe
building and neighborhood. If we want better schools for our children, and if we
wish to significantly depart from the old days of segregated and unequal
schools, we must adhere to very rigorous standards for schools.
Sincerely,
Tony Baez
Dr. Luis "Tony" Báez, Executive Director
Council for the Spanish Speaking
614 W. National Ave, Milwaukee, WI
53204
Tel. 414-384-3700 ext. 238
Email: tonybaez2@aol.com or
tbaez@spanishcenter-milw.org