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The city will be unveiling a plaque in the Piazza on Saturday, at 10:00, to commemorate a very important and beloved Renton citizen.
Click here to read more about Renton’s remarkable Marge Richter!
Why I advocate for Highlands and HCA members
I’ve been asked why I seem to stubbornly and consistently advocate for Highland residents and Highland Community Association members in their issues with our city.
Here are a few reasons I continue to advocate for them…
(1) Renton residents, including HCA members, have elected me four times to represent them
(2) I recieve a salary to advocate for all the people who elected me
(3) I have always been an advocate for neighborhoods, and this one happens to be mine
(4) I have worked successfully with HCA for many years
(5) I often agree with HCA and other highlands residents’ views on proposed zoning changes
I hope this clears things up!
Randy
P.S. This is not at all new. I’m in my fourth 4-year term. To get a better picture of my long history advocating for neighborhoods, please read this Seattle Times story from almost exactly ten years ago concerning the Winsper neighborhood (opposite end of town)… READ MORE »
Open Letter to our Great Firefighters in the City of Renton
Dear Fire Department Employees (every single one of you including the Chief),
Some of you have had the extreme misfortune of innocently walking into political cross-fire between the Mayor and the Highlands Community Association. Because of the lingering distrust between these parties, every email, invitation, interaction, RSVP, etc is viewed with extreme suspicion right now.
I, and the other members of the City Council that attended the HCA Picnic, are absolutely confident that you had the very best intentions for the Highlands Community, the city overall, and to your employer as you managed your events calendars on September 23, the day of the HCA picnic. I feel that any further review of your actions is a waste of money, as it seems painfully obvious to me that there were conflicting directions and expectations being transmitted down to you from elsewhere in city hall. I am also confident that Sandel Demastus of HCA acted in good faith and with due-diligence as she scheduled the firefighters visit to HCA’s wonderful picnic.
Thanks for your continued excellent service to our community.
Randy Corman
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Dear Community-
At this point, there is only one simple thing missing, and that needs to come directly from the Mayor, not from the firefighters.
If the Mayor is not surprised that Renton firefighters missed the picnic, she should be honest about that, and accept responsibility for any role she had.
If she regrets that Renton Firefighters missed the picnic, she should say so, and apologize to the citizens of HCA.
Regardless of how people felt about our former Mayor Jesse Tanner (a personal friend of mine), you could count on honesty and candor from him. He would have said something like…”you bet I cancelled the firefighters visit to your picnic…I don’t recognize your association and I don’t even like you that much…” or he may have said…”Nope, it was not me, but I can’t say I really care” …or “No, I didn’t cancel it. While I disagree on our politics, I won’t micro-manage my department and I won’t disappoint kids.” And everyone would have believed him.
By comparison, Mayor Keolker’s management approach shifts the blame, questions, and hurt feelings to members of her staff who do not need or deserve it. While Jesse could be a bit loud sometimes, Mayor Keolker’s silence feels deafening by comparison.
The Straw Man
As an elected official, I hold many truths to be self-evident….
Among them, elected officials should:
Treat all the citizens we serve with dignity and respect
Conduct our decision making openly
Make our records readily available to the public
Include citizens in our decision making
Run city hall as efficiently as possible
Minimize the tax burden
Protect and honor private property rights
Since these are widely held views, I rarely find that my disagreements with citizens last very long. Generally, I find that a candid discussion or a well-run public hearing, with the above truths in mind, will resolve just about any misunderstanding. The best part is, these truths will withstand a direct frontal attack by any other elected official, or group of officials. The truths are so fundamental to American culture that a public official would be a fool to argue against them openly. I would happily argue Renton’s cause on Capital Hill or the US Supreme Court, by standing on the above truths. No Senator or Supreme Court Justice could back me down.
But lately I have researched this question….what if an elected official did not necessarily agree with with me about these truths, or at least did not agree to put these truths ahead of other interests? In such a case, since these truths are capable of withstanding direct frontal argument, a more insidious approach to work around them would be necessary. Such an official could chose from a variety of time-proven misinformation approaches, such as a variation of the straw-man argument.
In this case the manipulative official would identify someone other than me who advocates loudly for all of the above truths, and then do everything possible to try to convince the public that the target (the straw man) is nothing more than evil. If the public will agree with the manipulative official that the straw man is evil, then all of the causes the straw man supports can then be assumed to be suspect. i.e. convince the public that the above truths are really just the ravings of the straw man, marginalize the straw man, and then you can then ignore the truths. The more you criticize and humiliate the target (straw man), the more likely you are to get the target to respond back in ways that seem irrational. It’s effective, and you can read about it by doing a google search or in wikipedia by clicking here . It works especially well if the target is somewhat vulnerable to begin with, and has only modest resources (e.g. a senior citizen on social security might be very effective).
The good news is that defeating the straw man argument is simple if you recognize it for what it is. You defeat the straw man argument by simply staying focused on the issue. You say,” I don’t care who else talked about this idea, I think it is a good idea /bad idea, and here is why.”
What you would not want to do is sign a letter saying “I hate the straw man too, and therefore sign me up as opposed to everything the straw man stands for.” Such a letter would only perpetuate the illogical straw man argument and confound further debate on the real issues. It may also leave others with the impression that you are opposed to the above truths.
A Fun, Fun, Fun Beach Boys Concert!
Growing up in Califonia, I always loved the sounds of the Beach Boys. Their song “Surfin Safari” inspired my first efforts to surf at Redondo Beach in my teens…”Lets go sufin now, everybody’s learnin how, come on a safari with me…..”
Never able to purchase a 409 (“she’s real fine my 409”), I used to satisfy myself by singing outloud to Cathy “she’s real keen my 318 “(referring to our 1968 Plymouth Belvedere)…
One of the first concerts Cathy and I attended in our teens was a fantasitc, sunny, spirited Beach Boys concert in Berkely California. Man they made the place rock. And even back in 1978, they were appealing to multiple generations, as parents were dancing with their kids at the concert.
So needless to say we really enjoyed seeing them perform last night at the Puyallup fair. They sounded the same as ever, since two of the original lead singers Mike Love and Bruce Johnston are still with the band, and the Beach Boys have a history of people coming and going that dates back to 1964. Their band had incorporated some younger talent as well, and we saw some very hot guitar playing and drumming last night.
I had just been born when the Beach Boys recorded their first hit Song “Surfin” while the were young adults living in Hawthorne California.
In the 80’s their drummer Dennis Wilson drowned, and was given an honorable buriel at sea funeral arranged by Ronald Reagan himself, to appologize for a hurtful comment his Interior Secretary James Watt had made saying the Beach Boys were a bad influence. It turns out, Ronnie was a fan. In the 90s, Dennis’s brother Carl passed on. Through the years their brother Brian Wilson has struggled with anxiety attacks and resultant addictions, but never stopped turning out such prolific and inspired music writing that put him in the top echelon of all-time musical genius. Cathy and I were forntunate to see Brian perform with the band at the concert in our teens.
I attended this concert with my wife Cathy, kids Andy, Kenny, Danny, Susie, and Katie, son-in-law Brandon, our friends Debra, Jake, and Mike (from next door), and Susie’s friend Emma. We also stumbled upon our friend Vera, who joined us in watching the concert. The Beach Boys played nearly all their Endless Summer hits. The encore included Kokomo, Good Vibrations, and a sing along of Help Me Rhonda where the crowd provided the chorus. Fun times!
We do not have to lose the Dinner Train!..
We’ve been told we will lose the dinner train as a result of I-405 widening in South Bellevue. Recent reports give the impression that this is already agreed to by the State DOT and Burlington Northern Railroad. Meanwhile, Puget Sound Regional Council and the King County Executive’s office are both working to develop future proposed uses for the Burlington Northern Corridor, leaving many members of the public confused as to what is really going on and who is making the decisions.
But we actually have more control over the situation than it first appears. Railroad rights-of-way include a mix of fee-simple property (outright owned by the railroad)and easements often obtained by eminent domain power. Because the Federal Government utilized broad condemnation power to complete these rights of way for railroads, rail lines can not be bought and sold for other uses, or simply abandoned to whoever asks for them, without an extensive and public abandonment process per Title 49 CFR 1152.27. This abandonment process is established to expressly prevent loss of valuable lines as a result of short-term thinking, as I feel we are seeing here.
In the current case, Burlington Northern is agreeeing to split 30 million dollars with the State DOT by taking a short linkage of rail line out of service. The 30 million is coming from DOT savings realized by not replacing the I-405/rail crossing tunnel when I-405 is widened. Even though the project budget allowed for rebuilding the tunnels under and over I-405, our state Department of Transportation and Burlington Northern propose instead that the they simply split the money, and take the active line out of service. I’m personally irritated by this, because I served four years on the I-405 Executive Committee which oversaw funding for this and other I-405 projects, and we never ONCE considered eliminating this railroad crossing.
One of the options in Railroad Abandomnent Law is that any other person, business, organization, or jurisdiction that cares about the continued use of the rail line can make an “offer of financial assistance” to keep the abandoned line open. By law, an arbitrator must determine that the offer is in fact sufficient money to keep the line open. In this case, the abandoned portion of the line is only a few hundred yards long, and the DOT is already budgeted and authorized to replace it, so I think an offer of one dollar along with the allocated state $30,000,000 should be acceptable to prevent abandoment. I think Renton, Newcastle, Bellevue, or perhaps even a citizen that eventually wants to have a train station named after their family, should consider pursuing this step to halt the abandoment.
Now you are probably asking yourself, “why would Renton want to own or subsidize a short piece of a railroad….sure, the dinner train is cool, but do we really want to become railroad barons just to save the dinner train?” The answer is we would not be just saving the dinner train, we would be saving an extremely valuable rail corridor that could be worth billions of dollars to future generations in our area. Over the next few years, the State DOT and elected officials like me will be asking you to spend many billions of dollars widening I-405 so that we can get people and freight in and out of this super-rapidly growing east-side urban area. Under such circumstances, it makes no financial sense to sever a forty mile rail line along this exact same corridor to save 30 million on a tunnel. Especially if a substantial part of the 30 million is still going to be paid by taxpayers, but paid to Burlington Northern as compensation for losing their line. I can’t blame Burlington Northern for wanting to take the money (it’s difficult for a publicly traded company to refuse free money), but I don’t feel we taxpayers and residents should let this happen.
You may also be saying to yourself…”I hear Ron Sims wanted to make this a bike trail, or a monorail line, or something cool like that….maybe I want the rail to be gone so we can have these uses instead of noisy diesel trains”. My answer to this is that Ron Sims, and the King County Government he manages, is closing parks and pools because they are tens of millions of dollars in the red. They do not have enough money to patch holes in existing trails, let alone build new ones like this. And Sound Transit Phase 2, which represents light rail planning for the next two decades, is planning no money for a commuter rail along the 405 corridor… the way things are shaping up Renton will be lucky if we can get expanded bus service on our over-crowded I-405. And let’s not forget, a few mile-long diesel trains loaded with freight, if properly managed, can get hundreds of big trucks off of 405 during the peak hours. And Puget Sound Regional Council’s work has shown that the corridor can actually support the existing heavy rail and a trail/bike path….all it takes is a chain link fence down the middle to keep walkers and bikes from getting too close to the danger zone. I believe the best way to preserve these possible uses for the future is to keep the line operating as is, get the tunnel rebuilt at 405 with the money budgeted for it, and keep the dinner train rolling…toot, toot.
So please join me in telling the State DOT to quit taking short cuts, and build that tunnel for the train. And if they don’t listen to us, let’s look at Renton buying the “abandoned” section for a few bucks, to force the DOT to build a tunnel for BN instead of handing them the cash. Finally, if we can’t keep the rail line this way, contact me if you want to get some citizens together ourselves to buy the line out of abandonment using a dollar or two of our own, plus the state’s 30 million, and put the line back in service for our grandchildren’s sake.
HCA “Spirit of the Highlands” neighborhood picnic
YIPEE! ONE LAST SUMMER FLING! FREE PICNIC SATURDAY AT 1:00!….
Please bring your families and appetites, and come on down! Food, entertainment, fun…and everything is provided free of charge, thanks to very generous sponsorship by Highlands Community Association.
I’ll be there with my family on Saturday, and I hope you will too!
Randy
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HCA “Spirit of the Highlands” neighborhood picnic
FREE * Sat, Sep 23rd, 1-4 pm * FREE
Highlands Neighborhood Center, 800 Edmonds Ave NE
a “BILL’S BODACIOUS BARBEQUE” day just for you!
Chicken & Ribs . . . Kids’ Games/Prizes . . . Live Music
Children’s Fire Safety Program . . . Great Company
Flag ceremony is at 1 p.m.
Call 206-339-8210 ASAP to make your reservations for the greatest picnic Renton has ever seen.
We need to know:
Number of Adults
Number of 6-12 years old
Number of kids 5 and under
so we can plan the food.
Rain or shine we’re having chicken n ribs and all the fixins’ barbequed on site by Bill’s Bodacious Barbeque.
More information:
You are cordially invited to the greatest get-together of the Harvest Season, the HCA “Spirit of the Highlands” neighborhood picnic. We’ll have plenty of Bill’s Bodacious Barbeque (chicken & ribs), beans, coleslaw, rolls/cornbread, fudge brownies, peach and berry cobbler, sweet potato and pecan pie, and ice cream for the kids. Ummmh, good! Cooked right before your eyes–can’t you smell those chicken and ribs now? And to go with this fabulous food, we’ll have kids’ games, lots of prizes, a live band, and great company. And it’s all FREE, compliments of your HCA Board of Directors.
The Renton Fire Department will teach the children fire safety; it’s one of the most entertaining gigs you’ve ever seen. Hank & Eulaine’s Ozark Music & Ozark Broom Company will provide the music. What a day it will be!
The HCA Board thanks the property owners and residents of the Highlands Study Area for coming by the hundreds to City Hall to attend the multiple public hearings regarding Highlands Redevelopment. Because of YOU, eminent domain as part of a Declaration of Blight is “off the table”; and a majority of the City Council now support involving property owners and residents of the Highlands Study Area in the planning process to determine future “land use.”
The “coordination effort” is far from over; and you now have a rare opportunity to determine the zoning which will directly affect the value of your property. Come and meet City Council members such as Council President Randy Corman who lives in the Highlands. Council members have the final vote in determining the value of your property. They need to hear what you have to say. We’re inviting them all, and they’ll have name tags so you can’t miss them.
Please arrive in time for the Boy Scout Flag Ceremony at 1 p.m., and the food will be on the bar-bee. In order for Bill’s Bodacious Barbeque to prepare the right amount of food to feed everyone, please RSVP at 206-339-8210 and leave a message with your name, your telephone, number of adults attending, number of kids 6-12 years old, and number of kids 5 and under. Again, please RSVP at 206-339-8210
Invite your neighbors in case we missed anyone. Let’s party, rain or shine! –Your HCA Board of Directors
Highlands Community Association, PO Box 2041, Renton, WA 98056
It’s getting better, but some confusion still remains in Highlands
Some questions surfaced during our last council meeting (9/18/06) regarding Renton Highlands revitalization planning. The Planning Commission is reviewing zoning and text amendments that support Highlands revitalization, but we have not yet assembled the citizen advisory committee that is supposed to produce the vision for this area. A few citizens in attendance at Monday’s meeting spoke to this concern. City staff’s response was essentially that staff had considered the advisory committee an implementing committee which would work with the community to find ways to execute on the plan, but that the Planning Commission, Planning and Development Committee and Council would do the zoning and text planning. This explanation did not sit well with the citizen speakers, and considerable council debate ensued. I expressed my view that the advisory committee should complete it’s vision for the area first, and then we should align the zoning with the proposed vision. I also stated that this did not have to hold up revitalization; council could simply lift the building moratorium immediately, and allow anyone wanting to build at ten units per acre or less to immediatly get started. Finally, Denis Law moved that the issue be placed in a Committee of the Whole meeting, which I strongly supported. This motion, and it’s implications, was then hotly debated for a few minutes; but the motion passed.
Another issue raised by the above debate was the interrelationship and timing of the zoning, the Comprehensive Plan, and the zoning text amendments. Our city staff is working to have all three of the above documents updated by the end of this year…a noble goal, but increasingly unlikely given that the Highlands Advisory Committee has yet to be appointed. The zoning has not been the biggest issue. Sure, the zoning maps keep changing, which has been generating some confusion (and a bit of criticism), but there seems to be a general consensus that a reasonable up-zone in the Highlands study area would be okay so long as existing homes in good condition also remain conforming. Similarly, I have not seen the wide-spread challenge to those proposed comprehensive plan revisions that are not targeted at the Highlands study area. So the only area of great controversy, at least for now, seems to be the zoning text amendments that accompany the proposed highland zoning maps. Unfortunately, these text amendments have become so voluminous that they currently fill 93 pages, and essentially create some new zoning categories and requirements that have not been used or seen before. Considering the entire council has yet to be briefed on these amendments, and I (for one) will be looking for extensive public involvement and concurrence, it is looking extremely sporty to imagine these text amendments being ready for adoption in two to three months.
This is what I think we should do:
(1) Immediately lift the moratorium and allow builders to begin tearing down and replacing buildings in Renton Highlands under the current density limitations of 10 units per acre in the outskirts, and 20 units to the acre near Sunset.
(2) Jump-start the Highlands Advisory Committee, and include those citizens and businesses that have been outspoken on all sides of the issue as well as those that have been quietly watching and have something to add. Ask this committee to work to find their common ground (I know it exists), and then build a vision for a revitalized Highlands based on that common ground. Ask the committee to distill the vision into a narrative that the public and the council can understand (as opposed to cryptic zoning acronyms and ever-changing maps)…then get council and public buy-in.
(3) Ask staff and the Planning Commission to finalize zoning and text recommendations that support the vision established above.
(4) Council review and approves the final package.
Lifting the moritorium would infuse immediate life by getting low density reconstruction going again. Then, we could take the time to get the higher density Center Village planning right…so that all parties felt good about the process and the end result. I’m certain we can achieve revitilization faster this way than by fighting about it for another year ot three.
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear RENTON! …
Yay Renton! You turn 105 years old tomorrow!
I’ve been enjoying the public birthday wishes for Renton that are being posted by our citizens in the comments section of Renton’s MySpace site!
To see Renton’s birtday greetings, CLICK HERE and then scroll down the right hand side of the page until you reach the comment section!
Happy Birthday Renton!
This is also an appropriate time to look back on Renton’s Centenial celebration five years ago: We had a ceremony and fireworks in Liberty Park on September 6 after a great summer of partying!
Tragically, the happy mood came to an abrupt end 5 days later with the 9/11 terror attack.
(Click two photos above to enlarge)
Hey! I was rated ‘Two Thumbs Up!’
The newly established Inie League has issued its first set of local officials’ ratings, and I got a kick out of my mine.
I have to say, the internet is going to change everything about local politics.
Here is the website for those of you that are interested… www.inieleague.org…click here!
And to the Inie League review team, thanks for your vote of confidence…I try to always do my best!
Randy
Busy Summer
A few readers have noticed that I’ve spent less time online the last few weeks. It has been such a beautiful summer, and here is a glimpse as to what I’ve been up to.
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Teaching my son-in-law Brandon how to tie a tie!
Our visiting Japanese exchange student shows us he is indeed an expert rider; on our mustang on Devil’s Elbow Road ( a fantastic trail if you have not yet found it).
Visiting at the ground breaking for the Landing
Our Newfoundland hits her sixth birthday, so it’s time for a new watering dish!
Ribbon cutting for Treasure Casino’s reopening under new management…a very professional and courteous staff, and authentic Chinese cuisine, will make this a popular spot!
Yard work, yard work, and more yard work! I probably made a dozen trips to local transfer stations, recyclers, and donation centers this month.
Adding some artistic flare to our mud-room entrance…can you tell that I used to work in a theatrical scene shop in college?
When the thermometer tops 80, that hammock starts looking pretty good!
Summer movies in the park was a great success! Thanks Spirit of Washington!
What a great season of movies at Liberty Park. I loved watching the final show, Young Frankenstein last week with my family, including our Japanese exchange student.
That movie is soooo funny…I really enjoy Mel Brooks movies.
One last big thank you to Spirit of Washington for the grant that made this season possible, and my hearty thanks to the other civic organizations and our Parks and Recreation staff that pulled it all together. Good Times.
Oh No! What are we going to do! How will we live! No more movies in the Park this Summer!
Young Frankenstein at Liberty Park on Saturday night!
The Audience has spoken for this Saturday’s Cinema at the Park! And it is the perfect choice. This is arguably Mel Brooks’ funniest film, and it appeals to all ages. One of my all-time favorite movie moments is in this film…When Gene Wilder gets squeezed trying to manipulate the the rotating secret passage in his new castle…”Now listen very carefully….put…the candle…back!” Toooo funny.
Everyone in Renton should make an effort to attend this last Outdoor Cinema of the Season. The park can probably provide good viewing for a thousand people, so come on down!
Pony Rides at St. Matthews Lutheran Church Block Party
Last Sunday St Matthews Luthran Church in the Highlands had a huge block party for the neighborhood. Free entertinement, food, games, inflatables, pony rides and more. My wife and I helped with the Pony rides. I captured these nice pictues of Cathy in the process.
Highlands again, and density discussion
Another exciting council meeting tonight.
We got some good business done for the safety of school kids (young ones walking and older ones driving) reviewed an annexation petition, listened to a gentleman’s concerns about increased business jet traffic at the airport, had a warm introduction from the new Renton School Superintendant, and then moved on to the Highlands audience comment.
Pretty quickly the emotions surrounding the Renton Highlands came to a boil again. It began when the Renton community activist that was recently brutilized in a home invasion crime expressed disappontment that she felt re-victimized by the mayor after discussing the need for more law enforcement in the area.
Then we listened to both Phil and Heidi Beckley, who together leveled numerous criticisms at multitudes of people. Mr. Beckley complained about an article by Inez Petersen in the Fairwood Flyer which was negative about Renton. While he was sharing this, I was thinking that I did not imagine what council might do about it, since Ms. Pettersen is a private citizen, the Fairwood Flyer is not our publication, and we have taken a position as a council of being neutral on Fairwood’s incorporation even while there is strong citizen debate on the issue.
Then Heidi Beckley, a long-time friend of mine, approached the podium and criticized all members of the council for not staying the course on the plan the council was reviewing in April (when Lipstickgate first broke out–which she referred to as that ugly personal thing, or something like that). She felt that all of the council had been bullied into backing off of the Mayor’s plan by a “few people.” She specifically critisized me personally for attending the August 17 Highlands Community Association meeting (even though it was also attended by a State House Representative, two other city council members, our Public Works Director, our Police Chief, Our Community Services Director, Several other city staff, and about forty citizens from the Highlands…not a bad turnout for a warm August day.) Ms. Beckley expressed support for the way the mayor has effectively treated these constituants (they would say they have been shunned), and encouraged me to do the same. (Ms. Beckley mistakenly believes that HCA is the reason I am not in favor of blighting, community renewal act takings, and high density apartments in Renton Highlands.)
After Heidi’s comments, I expressed my belief that she and I still had many common goals, particularly in cleaning up the Highlands business environment, but I clarified that I’ve held my views on not wanting massive new apartment constuction in the Highlands for many years. The same is true for my protection of private property rights, which dates back to the city’s efforts to condemn my backyard for an apartment developer in 1989. I mentioned that making single family non-confoming and building apartments at densities up to 80 units per acre was not a way to get the neighborhood we both were looking for… and suddenly Dan Clawson jumped in and attacked me for “falsely” and “misleadingly” stating that we had ever considered looking at building up to 80 units per acre.
Huh? But here is the current proposed zoning map from the city website:
Everywhere the map says 80 DU/AC bonus, it stands for 80 dwelling units per acre if the developer includes low income units in the building. Between the dark gray (80 DU) and black areas (75 DU), the majority of the study area can be built with this type of density. Since Dan Clawson is a member of the Planning and Development Committee, he should know this map very well. In light of the fact that Mr. Clawson publically accused me of making false statments (again), and my statements prove honest and true (as they always do) by the above map, perhaps Mr. Clawson could explain to the public whether he was extremely confused tonight, whether he himself was trying to mislead, or whether he had some other motivation when he said that we never considered 80 unit per acre densities.
While you contemplate that, here is some info from a planning firm, the Lincoln Land Use Institute, on “visualizing densities.” Click Here , but you have to open a free profile to get to the good stuff.
We don’t want the “Little Boxes on the Hillside” look!
And below is what 70 units per acre looks like:
And below is what 37 units per acre looks like:
And below, right from the North Highlands study area, is what 10 units to the acre looks like:
Of all the pictures above, the one that would NOT BE ALLOWED in the study area UNDER THE MAYOR’S PROPOSAL is the one immediately above, with the single family homes. This is picture of four homes that replaced one 1940’s era duplex on Harrington Circle. This is also the development that the market forces were giving us eighteen months ago when council slapped an onerous moritorium on this area, thus halting redevelopment. This is also the development pattern that the lawful owners of the property were building, that required no expensive or controversial blighting or community renewal actions, and did not involve tying up potentially tens of millions of taxpayer dollars in public/private partnerships that are subject to risk. These single family projects were refreshing, free to the taxpayers, and provided great opportunities for families to buy their first new home.
I hope that one day the mayor may let go of her bitterness toward me, HCA, and countless other highland residents, and let the council majority restore some sense to the Highlands plan. With all the personal attacks, and conspiricy theories I have to endure just because I don’t want sixteen-hundred apartments replacing the homes near me, I’m going to have to start wearing hip-waders at city hall.
Do I want highland revitalization? Yes, probably more than anyone. With a wife and five kids living right on the boundary of the affected area, I would love some updating and some more shopping. Do I want high density apartments when I could see single family move in, no.
I remember about four years ago when the mayor (then a council member) waged a bitter, hostile fight to try to prevent 40 single family homes from being built on ten acres of properly-zoned vacant land in her neighborhood of Renton Hill. Ironically, four years later, she is using every means (and person) she can muster to convert already occupied low-density land in my neighborhood into sixteen hundred apartment units, at densities up to 80 units per acre…I doubt I’m the only one who percieves this as hypocritical.
Like I say, another exciting night!
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