Fifteen years later, it's still a bad idea

Regarding the Sunday editorial, "Island Crossing is still an annexation vexation":

Excuse me. Development at Island Crossing has been successfully resisted for over 15 years because it is a bad idea. The reason this valuable agricultural land is "little used" is that it belongs to Dwayne Lane. Do we really think he would make it available for farming like all the productive ground nearby?

The County Council has rightly realized that Arlington is a voracious sprawling community which already spans three Interstate exits, extends to Bryant, to Oso, to Granite Falls, to Silvana and Smokey Point. In addition to being a floodplain, Island Crossing features the most scenic viable agricultural land visible from I-5. It represents and preserves the agricultural heritage and beauty of our county. Development here will destroy this forever.

Arlington will be far better served to abandon the land grab and feature this route to promote tourism, access to the North Cascades and Mountain Loop Highway, and as a "Scenic Highway" that even leads to the heart of town. As one who has actively fought this development for 15 years, I applaud the council.

Catherine Cloud
Stanwood