Letter-writing Templates I. Suggestions for letter to county council members re dense housing development: Dear Council Member [name]: As a [20]-year resident of Wheaton, I am grateful that the County is focusing attention on revitalization efforts in the central business district. I am glad that there is a desire to maintain the small-business character of Wheaton – as evidenced by the name of zone thing – and I look forward to seeing Wheaton’s new face evolve. I recognize that this means [inviting some new business development to the area and a creative approach to joining together a Wheaton that is bisected by State highways]. However, I must express serious concern over the preponderance of new residential dwelling units that are being considered for the area, and I hope that you will look carefully at these proposals when they come before you. Wheaton traffic is already terribly congested, and the projects that were outlined by the Wheaton Redevelopment Office at a recent meeting included more than 600 new dwelling units in an area that starts in the Wheaton central business district and ends at Arcola, the current site of Good Counsel High School – a distance of a mere half mile. I believe that approving all of these projects will place extreme strain on an already overburdened [transportation, recreation, education] infrastructure in our area. The Good Counsel project, in particular, raises alarms, as it means re-zoning an existing R90 parcel, [which is embedded in other R90 parcels…a fairly rare commodity in Wheaton…rezoning is an attack on the character of the neighborhood]. … II. Suggestion for writing letters regarding the move of the rescue squad and the implications for the Wheaton Recreation Center: Dear [target of choice]; The Wheaton Rescue Squad is a valued member of our community, and the residents of Wheaton recognize its need to find a way to expand its facility – either by moving to a new location or by remodeling. However, I and most of my neighbors are alarmed at the suggestion of a complicated land swap that would place the Wheaton Rescue Squad on the current site of the Wheaton Community Center.
This proposal deprives the neighborhood of a much-used – although both underfunded and under-maintained – recreation facility for an extended period of time. The proposed replacement – Good Counsel’s Rafferty Center – would need extensive work to serve the same purpose as the current recreation center and would not be available for use for several years. In addition, it would not expand the recreation services capacity of the current recreation center. While the residents of Wheaton appreciate the creative thought that went into designing this proposal, they have not been adequately consulted, and this proposal is a bad idea. The Wheaton Community Center is admittedly old and in need of attention, but it serves the community, and we cannot afford to be deprived of its services for an indeterminate timeframe. Please consider these concerns thoughtfully when this proposal comes before you.