Ridge addition a bad deal

Published 1:07 am Friday, October 3, 2008

In reference to the addition of about 268 new dwellings in an area already planned and previously approved for a business park at Snoqualmie Ridge, I encourage all members of the City Council and the mayor to reject this Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Co. proposal.

The issue is connected directly with WRECO’s immediate interests, without too much regard to the long-term benefits of the total community of Snoqualmie and the surrounding area. Changing the original plan to add the dwellings means, among other things, instantaneous cash to WRECO.

Keeping the original plan, on the other hand, enriches the local community with long-term benefits resulting from attracting businesses to our city.

“Kidney Center brings 15 jobs” was the headline on the front page of a recent Valley Record issue. Fifteen jobs is big news to this community. Taking this business park out of the picture means eliminating potential employment of tens of local people, not to mention long-term benefits to other local businesses in the process.

At the beginning of the public hearing regarding this issue, one member of the Planning Commission admitted his support of this proposal prior to the hearing date by reading out loud to the public his own writings in the form of Ridge e-mail and/or a letter to the Valley Record supporting this proposed change. After a recorded protest from one of the public, this member insisted that he would still be impartial to the issue. This is like running with the hounds and telling people that you are the rabbit.

Having said that, I think that this is not the real issue. The issue is not really traffic or stormwater, either; the issue is good economics to this community. Sure WRECO is a contributing part of this community, but I think that they are wrong on this one issue.

Daoud Chorma

Snoqualmie