Letter to the Editor: Point Wells proposal is a problem for our entire community
Friday, September 16, 2011
To the Editor:
The Point Wells proposal is a problem for our entire community.
The fundamental problem with the BSRE Pt. Wells, LP (BSRE) proposal is the potentially huge impact to a unique 100 yr old neighborhood as well as the rest of Shoreline caused by an international corporation and Snohomish County imposing its will on our City when we have no direct control over the outcome. This is a violation of the sovereignty of our city and community and an “Urban Center” is not appropriate. The developer and Snohomish are not playing fair!
I have stated quite clearly that I support the position and outstanding work of the Save Richmond Beach organization. I believe that the City of Shoreline should do everything in its power to fight this development, including joining the litigation if necessary. They should not give up any leverage by agreeing prematurely to negotiate. The developers should know that the City is willing to use every legal tool to protect Richmond Beach and keep our citizens safe from the massive impacts of this development.
If the City Council stands with the community and shows its willingness to use its power to litigate if necessary, then anything is possible, perhaps even funding for a regional park which would benefit all of us and restore the natural Puget Sound shoreline.
I have fought international corporations in the past and triumphed, and in the end worked collaboratively with a visionary developer for a great outcome. I believe that strong council leadership and oversight is needed from the council now and in the future to guide this process to save Richmond Beach and our entire community from an inappropriate development and a horrendous traffic nightmare.
We need council members who are willing to stand strong with the community and insist on action to protect our community. I stand ready to serve and insist on courageous actions to Save Richmond Beach. Anything less would be unacceptable.
Janet Way
Shoreline
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5 comments:
Do NOT spend any of my tax money fighting this development in court. A development is going to go in at Pt. Wells, whether Richmond Beach wants it or not. That is pretty prime and expensive property.
A court battle is just going to lose and cost Shoreline too much money. Quit your grandstanding, Janet, and start talking like you really were on the council once. You know that Shoreline can't tell Snohomish County what it can and can't do.
Time to face facts and pull up our big boy/girl underwear and figure out a way to make the best of it.
We need members of the Council who will fight for the interests of our neighborhoods. This what Richmond Beach and the entire City deserves. This is the type of Councilmember we need.
The Richmond Beach community is speaking with one unified voice. Shouldn't we have a Council that listens to our concerns?
"Realistically Speaking" is not only seriously mistaken, but seems to espouse the teabaggers extremist, selfish, narrow-visioned philosophy.
Snohomish County is being an extraordinarily bad neighbor in its willingness to inflict serious environmental damage upon Shoreline neighborhoods and its obvious disregard for state law.
While the most intense impact would fall upon Richmond Beach residents, it is far more than this neighborhood alone that will suffer. And Shoreline does have the right to protect itself from the predation implicit in the Point Wells project.
This project should not go forward for all the factual reasons stated in the letter from Janet Way.
This Point Wells plan is deeply flawed, both as to its assumptions of what it can constructively accomplish as a planned community and as a development process that allows the developer to sell off newly zoned plots miscellaneous buyers and then walk off to its next deal.
The City of Shoreline would be seriously remiss in passively allowing this project to proceed without investigating options that can guarantee long term benefits to the community and the environment.
Janet Way's record of taking a firm stand and getting the best deal possible for her constituents is precisely what Shoreline needs at this juncture. She's got my support on this issue!
Former (and hopefully future) Councilmember Way is exactly correct on the Pt. Wells issue. Our current council seems afraid of any kind of confrontation, both with the developer and with Snohomish County, even if confrontation is necessary to protect the interests of Shoreline (not just Richmond Beach) citizens! Pretty shocking really. Don't we want leaders who will fight for us? I'm all for getting along with others, but not if it means getting kicked around and run over. It's come to that point it seems.
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