The Rockford City Council Codes & Regulations Committee voted this past Monday night AGAINST Historic Landmark Status for the Chancery and other buildings on the St. Peter's Cathedral Campus.
There was a long debate in a crowded and tense Council Chamber. Council members seemed to want to find some compromise, but were unsure how to do so. While members were not excited about the building being torn down, they also seemed reluctant to take on the Bishop and Catholic Diocese. You can read more details about what happened through the attached Rockford Register Star article link. My main purpose of this update, however, is to focus on what we can still do to change the outcome!
The full Rockford City Council is scheduled to hear the matter and vote this coming Monday, April 1. Your voice is needed to change the minds of Council members!
Once again, we're asking you to email Council members and let them know that you want them to vote FOR the Historic Landmark Designation. The main thing is for them to hear from you that you want them to vote for Historic Landmark Status. So, here you go again...
Step 1: Copy and paste these email addresses into the “to” field for your email...
Tim.Durkee@rockfordil.gov
Jonathan.Logemann@rockfordil.gov
Chad.Tuneberg@rockfordil.gov
Kevin.Frost@rockfordil.gov
Venita.Hervey@rockfordil.gov
Natavias.Ervins@rockfordil.gov
Ann.Thompson@rockfordil.gov
Karen.Hoffman@rockfordil.gov
Bill.Rose@rockfordil.gov
Franklin.Beach@rockfordil.gov
Tuffy.Quinonez@rockfordil.gov
John.Beck@rockfordil.gov
Linda.McNeely@rockfordil.gov
Joseph.Chiarelli@rockfordil.gov
You can also include on the CC line, the Mayor, City Administrator, the Mayor’s Chief of Staff, and myself (so that we can keep track of how many emails are being sent) at these addresses:
thomas.mcnamara@rockfordil.gov
todd.cagnoni@rockfordil.gov
wester.wuori@rockfordil.gov
morrissey.larry@gmail.com
Step 2: Here is what you can put in the subject line:
Vote for Historic Landmark Status for the Chancery!
Step 3: Here is some draft text that you can include in your email:
Dear Alderman,
Please vote to grant Historic Landmark Status for the Rockford Chancery Building and the related buildings when these applications come before you for a final decision. I know that the Council Codes & Regulations Committee voted against the Historic Landmark designation, but I am respectfully asking you to reconsider.
While there has been a lot of concern raised about not wanting to force the Diocese to spend money or do something they don't want to do, those concerns seem to ignore the primary question: Is the Chancery a historic building worthy of landmark status?
To answer this question, we ask that you consider again the unanimous decision of the Historic Preservation Commission, which voted unanimously to support Historic Landmark Status with over 3,200 signatures submitted in support of the applications. The Chancery is an incredible Building and it would be a travesty to lose it, especially when there are developers interested in redevelopment at no cost to the Diocese!
If Landmark status is granted, the Diocese would also have options. Our first hope is that the Diocese would be open to redevelopment partnerships. We know there are developers interested in partnering with them. But the Diocese could also claim undue hardship and still ask the City for permission to demolish the Chancery. In either case, the first question remains: is the Chancery worthy of Historic Landmark Status? We think the answer is a clear YES!
The Rockford City Council has been instrumental in supporting Historic Preservation and leveraging Historic Landmark Status to drive millions of dollars of investment in Rockford’s urban core.
I ask that you vote in favor of Historic Landmark Status for these well deserving buildings. Not only will your positive vote preserve Historic Rockford treasures, we are confident that it will lead to millions of dollars of additional investment for our urban core.
Step 4: Expect a response and plan on attending the City Council meeting on April 1, 2019 at 5:30pm.
The meeting will take place at City Council Chambers, 425 E. State Street, Rockford, IL. This is the next critical step of the process!
Thank you!
Larry