March 11, 2005

LETTERS2theEDITOR

Resident not against any development…

Just the wrong development

Editor,
Like many Evergreen residents, I am unable to attend most of the meetings on the very important issue of development in Evergreen due to work and family demands. Therefore, because I cannot attend the meetings, I thought I’d voice my thoughts in a letter.

We know it has been published that Mr. Cortese is frustrated with the time the task force has taken to make its recommendations on the number of homes to be developed. I have attended only one task force meeting, at which Mr. Cortese was present.

In the meeting, a gentlemen who had been hired to analyze traffic flows presented his findings on the impact of proposed development on existing traffic wait times, which were simply ridiculous (specifically, he said that the current wait time to get on 101 was only five minutes, and that they assumed only one car per additional new home).

When several of the task force members challenged these findings and asked questions to clarify the methodology used in reaching them, they were stonewalled. I decided to get up and leave at that point, because it was apparent that it was not worth my time and the extraordinary effort it took to be there.

If this exchange is indicative of what the task force has been subjected to, then I can understand how they have not been provided with the information they need to make a sound recommendation. Could it be that the task force is not dragging its feet, but instead is taking the time necessary to get useful, unbiased information? What interest do the members have in delaying the process? Aren’t they all volunteers?

My husband and I try to stay on top of progress of the project. Recently we received a map of the proposed development. We were simply shocked at the number of homes being proposed. We looked at each other and asked some very basic questions:

- Where are these people going to eat? (We have few restaurants out here to begin with.)
- Where are these people going to shop? (We have little retail out here now.)
- Where are these people going to send their kids to school? (Our brand new high school is already overflowing).
- How are these people going to get to work? (They are going to add over 10,000 cars to our already unjustifiably congested roads.)
- How are these people going to vote, particularly the high-density, non-property owners? (I think we know.)

Here are our views:
Commercial development is needed to bring in extra revenue. It will attract the people to support desperately needed restaurants and retail (restaurants must have a lunch crowd or they will not come), whereas houses will not.

Further, its associated traffic will be contra-commute direction, not adding a single car to the congestion.

No certificate of occupancy for any new residential development should be issued until adequate road improvements to handle the increased traffic are completed, period!

I’m tired of hearing about baseball fields. I fail to understand why we must bring in thousands of additional residents to get a baseball field. We pay the highest property taxes in the city and to date have received nothing for them. Just build one.

What we want in Evergreen is planning. We don’t see any in the proposal before us. We just see more irresponsible building that will further deteriorate our quality of life.

I’ve been here since 1978. We are not against any development, just the wrong development. What has happened to this beautiful area since is nothing to be proud of.

We are in the process of planning an addition to our home, since we intended to stay until our kids have grown. We now hesitate to complete the project given what may be the future for Evergreen.

Melanie Dovano Volpicella
Delta Road

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