In this episode of “Navel Gazing: The Valley Indy Podcast,” reporters Eugene Driscoll and Ethan Fry read and react to the negative comments posted on Valley Indy social media.
The latter part of the podcast features (low quality) audio from last month’s Derby Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, during which the commission rejected a “zone text change” application from The Hops Co., a popular beer garden on Sodom Lane. The rule change would have created a ‘development district’ for certain properties in the city, including The Hops Co.
This link will take you to minutes from the meeting.
The audio includes statements from two members of the public who were at the meeting, and then an explanation from commission chairman Ted Estwan detailing why the commission rejected the zone-text change.
Adding the ‘development district’ language to Derby’s zoning rules would have enabled The Hops Co. to submit a formal site plan to the commission detailing major changes the owner wants to make to the property.
The issue has generated complaints from neighbors, who say the place is a headache. Meanwhile, people on the Valley Indy Facebook page have criticized Derby for not being friendly to businesses, citing the commission’s decision as an example.
In the podcast, the reporters try to make the simple point that the issue is not cut and dried.
The reporters also review the most-read stories of the week, and Fry talking about running in the Commodore Hull road race on Thanksgiving morning.
This podcast is made possible by ValleyGivesBack.org.
