Letter to the Editor: Shoreline can become anything residents want
Saturday, October 8, 2016
To the Editor,
There’s been much debate regarding our city’s future. I hope I can bring some added context since I grew up with trains most of my life.
As a teenager, I took trains into NYC hundreds of times. It’s the best way to explore and get back home.
I left NY after 9/11 to start a new chapter with my soon to be wife. After years renting in Greenlake, she became pregnant and we went into nesting mode…”buy a house with a backyard.” This was important to us; it is the American dream after all. As we looked around, friends kept mentioning Shoreline and I could see why: affordable, quiet and close to the city. Since moving here we’ve been blessed with three girls. I envision living here for a long time.
It’s great that Shoreline is getting two train stops. When I think of the stops I passed growing up, many were boringly similar. One that stuck out is Forest Hills in Queens. No parking lot, cobblestones, two story buildings with shops and apartments above. It’s bright and a slice of green suburbia surrounded by a concrete jungle.
Recent letters mention ‘unavoidable’ or ‘inevitable’ when describing growth but I believe Shoreline can become anything residents want. It doesn’t have to emulate Seattle. What our city council is embracing doesn’t seem necessary or even logical. We’re only required to meet the Growth Management Act (GMA). Why would we rezone to double our city’s population in one fell swoop? The more I learn of their plan, the more distrust I have of their motives.
We need to be better than this and grow responsibly. Having a train line is a benefit but it shouldn’t destroy the lifestyle that has brought us or kept us here for so long.
Michael Bachety
Shoreline
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4 comments:
Michael - You sound like a great voice of reason with some good experience. Please run for local office! :-)
Totally agree with you statement Michael
Michael-
Thank you for writing this letter. My wife and I also moved here from NYC and a few years in Seattle. Though I agree with you about the excitement of getting mass transit and train stops, I am one of those people who want the density and urban development in Shoreline. Remember, once your kids are all grown up, (mine are not yet) it might be nice to have housing options for downsizing. A train line won't "destroy the lifestyle" unless you let it. Remember- the city is for everyone, including shops and businesses to walk to, not just you and your yard.
Hello Paisan, sorry I don't know your name. Are you aware as to how massive these rezones are? The infrastructure and all that goes with it was not originially built for this and will not properly support what is being passed but this current city council. I moved here to escape boroughs and now they want to build one. My neighborhood has already lost our last walkable green-space for a large six story building on a one lane road, all while there are empty lots and an abandoned building a tee shot away. It's short-sighted and poor planning and we can do much better. If people want to live in a box like I did in the Lower East Side, Capitol Hill and pretty much most of Seattle is waiting for you. So yes, I will selfishly fight for my backyard (I don't even live in the rezones) and for all of my neighbors who have lived here or came here for similar reasons.
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