A proposal to strengthen renters’ rights in Normal comes before the town council on Monday.
If approved, landlords would be required to give tenants 12 hours notice before entering residences, with exceptions for events like emergency repairs.
The vote, slated as part of the Normal Town Council’s regular meeting, follows renewed calls from Illinois State University students to add the protection.
The proposed ordinance appears to meet students’ recommendations halfway.
Earlier this fall, the ISU Student Government Association passed a resolution asking the town to require a 24-hour notice. It’s something the association has tried to secure for several years.
ISU students’ main concern is leasing staff bringing potential tenants through occupied units with no advance notice.
"Tenants have a right to know at least when someone is coming into their apartment if they do not know those people," student leader Braxton Myers told WGLT in September.
Fourth marijuana dispensary proposed for Normal
Also at Monday’s meeting, the council is set to consider issuing its fourth special-use permit for a marijuana dispensary. Ayr Wellness wants to set up shop in north Normal, off Main Street and Raab Road.
The business is eyeing a vacant spot in a commercial building at 1730 Bradford Lane. It currently has seven tenants, including a restaurant, hair salon, a prompt care and a dental office.
If the plan is OK’d, Ayr Wellness would become the fourth adult-use recreational marijuana shop approved for Normal, and the third in the north Normal area near Interstate 55.
So far, only one adult-use marijuana dispensary is open in Normal — Beyond/Hello, located off Main Street just north of I-55.
But earlier this year, the council issued special-use permits to two dispensaries that have yet to open. One of those, Revolution, is planning to open at 1609 Northbrook Drive, also off Raab Road not far from the proposed site for Ayr Wellness.
The second is High Haven, slated to open at 106 Mall Drive. The site is home to former Chinese restaurant Mandarin Gardens.
Proposal calls for Raising Cane's off Veterans Parkway
In October, the Normal Planning Commission held a public hearing on a proposal to redevelop what the town calls “one of the highest profile commercial corners in Normal” to add Raising Cane's, the drive-thru heavy business known for its chicken.
It calls for building a restaurant on the site now occupied by Beauty Brands, along Veterans Parkway. That structure would be razed.
If the town council OKs the proposed amendments for the Shoppes at College Hills final development plan, construction of Raising Cane’s would be slated for May 2025, when the lease ends for Beauty Brands.
The council meeting begins at 7 p.m., on the fourth floor of city hall chambers in Uptown Station.
