Letters

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 300 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Thursday, July 24, 2008 CHILDREN'S THEATER Parking necessary for development Why should anyone care about parking? That's one of the questions that supporters of a new children's theater have been asking. I would answer that while parking is not glamorous, it is an important part of promoting economic development in our downtown area. A healthy business and retail core not only generates tax dollars that help fund our schools, parks and other government services, but also produces a steady stream of donations that support arts and culture programs like the Village Theatre. While other cities in Puget Sound have made investments to expand parking options for retail and professional businesses in their downtowns, the city of Everett has been doing the opposite. Rather than increase the supply of parking, many city-sponsored projects have only increased the demand. The 10,000-seat Everett Events Center, for example, was built without a dedicated parking garage. The same is true for the Everett Performing Arts Center. Now, with three new projects being proposed on city-owned properties, more than 200 parking spaces will be removed from the existing supply. Far from being part of the parking solution, our city has been part of the problem. Rather than fall behind other Northwest cities in promoting economic development in their downtowns, Everett needs to get ahead of the curve. Ensuring that future parking needs are met should receive at least as much -- if not more -- attention from city leaders than building a new children's theater. After all, a strong and growing base of retail and professional businesses is what ultimately makes arts and culture programs possible -- not the other way around. Susie Hong Everett

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