Council should say no

The Snohomish County Council needs to say no to the large commercial development proposed for the west side of Paine Field. The vast majority of the residents of the city of Mukilteo do not want to experience yet another loss of greenbelt and they have no interest in seeing additional business in this area. In fact, take a poll and find out that Snohomish County citizens, in general, are tired of losing the very reason that gives them cause to live here – living space, trees and a somewhat slower pace of life.

The airport should be a self-sustaining operation funded by current user fees and, if necessary, subsidized via county-wide tax issues where government plans and intent see the light of voter approval or rejection. A county venture into commercial property management at the cost of over 100 beautiful acres of public-owned trees strays far from the reason most citizens believe government exists.

The Mukilteo area is a last defensive line between development and the sensitive Puget Sound environment. It is one thing (and often unreasonable) to try to restrict development opportunity associated with privately held land already zoned for a specific purpose, but why on earth would our own government want to so significantly scar an already fragile environment? Such a intrusion into the public land trust and the personal living space of those living near the airport can only be justified where there is a clear and overwhelming governmental mandate involved (safety for example). No such interest exists in this debate. Council members, please think about what you are doing. Take your eyes off this expedient path to dollars and make a decision that recognizes people have to live in this area and our environment needs a break.

Mukilteo