More Info From 'Fix Wilson Yard'

The folks at "Fix Wilson Yard" just sent us this email, which sheds some light on their goals and course of action:

"In response to questions posed by some concerned Uptown citizens, Fix Wilson Yard wanted to provide some background and insight into our organization and mission.
The Fix Wilson Yard organization evolved as a grass-roots effort by dedicated volunteers in the Uptown community. For years, many of us have been diligently tracking the direction of the Wilson Yard redevelopment, and involved in actions focused on creating a project that was desired by the entire community.
Recent developments have made it clear that the most viable way to stop the current Wilson Yard Redevelopment Project is through legal action. Despite years of trying to work with the public officials to develop a responsible use of taxpayer dollars, they were not willing to listen. This summer, without announcement, they began pre-construction preparation, leaving us no choice but to start the legal battle.
After a lengthy and diligent search for appropriate counsel, Fix Wilson Yard chose two different law firms: one which specializes in fighting municipalities on Land Use issues, the other in Tax Increment Finance (TIF) issues. Both firms are leading attorneys in their respective fields. Rather than choosing one attorney who is an expert on one issue and would have to spend endless hours of research (and the FWY’s legal fund money) to properly educate themselves on the other laws, we chose the best in both fields. They have the utmost confidence in our case and have offered their services at greatly reduced hourly rates.
There is some confusion regarding the organization which is leading this cause. The founding members of Fix Wilson Yard are involved in several organizations throughout Uptown, but we have come together to take on this important challenge. Since the organization itself was formed quickly, we have not yet finalized its not-for-profit status. Graceland-Wilson Neighbors Association (GWNA), which has not-for-profit status, has offered itself to collect donations for the legal fund until Fix Wilson Yard’s paper work is finally approved.
Within the last 45 days, Fix Wilson Yard has conducted three neighborhood presentations regarding Wilson Yard. Despite limited advertisement, these meetings were all standing-room-only and raised a significant amount of money. However, Fix Wilson Yard is still far from the estimated six figure invoice it will have to pay to see this suit through trial.
As with any large endeavor, this is a process which will evolve as it moves forward. We anticipate being able to offer more specific information on our legal grounds soon. However, information regarding the law suit must be tempered with strategy as well as concern for the attorney-client privilege.
We are concerned community members, just like you. We understand your concern and caution regarding this endeavor. Still, the time is now. The flawed Wilson Yard Redevelopment Plan was not going to wait for the people of Uptown to raise all the money required to pursue this greatly needed law suit. Wilson Yard was not going to wait for more legal decisions to come out which highlight TIF abuse by municipalities. Wilson Yard was not going to wait. We couldn’t either. Can you?"