Preserving open space is critical

We witness on a daily basis the development of land in this county. It goes for housing. It goes for businesses that provide essential services. It goes for schools, for transportation, for entertainment. But it goes forever. Once built upon, future generations will not have our option of keeping it in open space. And they will judge us harshly for our mistakes.

We need to ask hard questions of new development, particularly when it represents drastic change to what little is left of the open space in our county. The answers to these questions should be weighed very carefully. A perfect example is the request of several businesspeople to build an eight-tower antenna farm on one of the least-developed stretches of prime agricultural open space left in the Snohomish valley. Adjoining a regional park, home to myriad wildlife, part of the critical floodplain, this fertile farmland will soon be lost forever. And for what gain? For another AM radio station? Who in this county cannot find plenty of choices by turning on a radio? Who in the western half of this county can as easily find plenty of large-acreage parcels of relatively undisturbed land?

Someday our children will look back on the decision that faces our county planners. They will not hesitate to render their verdict. We should listen to them.

Snohomish

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