The City Council tonight deferred action on the fate of the Heart of Peoria Commission (HOPC) until July 24. There was a meeting tonight at 4:30 that included Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken (2nd Dist.), HOPC Chairman Bill Washkuhn, Councilman Patrick Nichting (5th Dist.), and Mayor Jim Ardis. Although an effort was made to resolve the issue in time for tonight’s meeting, they did not reach a consensus, hence the item was deferred.

Van Auken said that several ideas were discussed, but didn’t elaborate on them. I imagine the HOPC will hear about them at our next meeting which is currently scheduled for this Friday, June 22, at 8 a.m., City Hall, fourth floor.

Councilman Gary Sandberg was the lone vote against the deferral. He wants to see the Heart of Peoria Commissioners appointed to other commissions — especially the Planning Commission, which is working on the Comprehensive Plan right now — regardless of whether HOPC is retained. This deferral delays that possible action another month.

In other Heart of Peoria Plan news, I had the opportunity to talk to Nichting briefly after the council meeting tonight. I asked him what he thought of the HOP Plan. He mentioned that he had voted for it and thought it had some good ideas. But he feels that ultimately the market decides which ideas will and won’t work — that there are certain market realities we have to acknowledge. He didn’t elaborate on that idea much further.

Of course one has to take the market into consideration. Just because a city comes up with good ideas does not guarantee that entrepreneurs will flock to fulfill them. However, on the flip side, it should be pointed out that Euclidean zoning did not come about by free market forces. It was imposed by cities upon developers to give us the kind of cities we see today. So, if anyone were to argue that segregated land use and automobile-dependent city planning were the result of popular demand by developers, they’re sorely mistaken. Zoning is all about cities deciding what they want their cities to look like rather than developers having free rein. New Urbanism is, among other things, a new and improved zoning plan that’s rooted in the tried and true principles of strong city planning.