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Town Of Normal: Nord Develops More In 'Disregard' Of Rules

Containers set up at 2012 W. College Ave.
Eric Stock
/
WGLT
Town of Normal officials they have told council member Stan Nord he needed a site plan for development on his property as far back as 2017.

Town of Normal officials contend town council member Stan Nord continues to expand a business on his property in defiance of town zoning rules.
City manager Pam Reece told Nord in an email last week staff discovered Mobile Mini has more than doubled the number of storage containers on his property at 2012 W. College Ave. since town staff last alerted him Jan. 27 that he needed a town-approved site plan before any development can begin.

The correspondence is the latest in a series of communications over three years in which town officials have told Nord changes to the site require town approval.

The email WGLT obtained through a public records request indicated the company has more than 130 storage containers on the property, including more than 70 in an illegally graveled area. That is double the amount present when the town sent the Jan. 27 letter.

“I also clearly stated that the tenant can not operate in the illegally developed area until the site plan is approved in accordance with the law,” Reece told Nord in the email.

“As property owner, you are accountable for the situation occurring on your property. The municipality must treat your property no differently than any other property where zoning code violations exist,” Reece wrote.

She added a representative from Mobile Mini said Nord told them how many containers were allowed on the site.

“It is disappointing to learn that my January 27, 2020 letter was disregarded,” Reece said.

Reece threatened Nord with legal action in that January letter that came days before a deadline for Nord to submit his site plan request. In the latest correspondence, Reece added the town could still take the matter to court if problems persist.

“With no action to address these ongoing and expanding violations, the town will have no option but to pursue legal recourse to stop the violation,” Reece wrote.

Engineers submitted the site plan request to the town on Jan. 31. The town’s planning commission has scheduled a public hearing for March 5 at 5 p.m.

Nord has not returned a call seeking comment. Reece declined to comment on the matter.

Nord said previously he believed he was following proper guidelines based on the final plat which the town approved last May.

Reece said she met with Nord on Feb. 21, the day after the email, but said that involved town council matters.

Nord has put the property up for sale. An online listing touts an “income stream from a tenant leasing a portion of the land” and rent from two billboards on the property.

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Eric Stock is the News Director at WGLT. You can contact Eric at ejstoc1@ilstu.edu.
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