There is one word to describe how the development of Bothell is being handled – carelessly.
I am not naïve enough to believe that the developers, the mayor and certain members of the Bothell City Council care about the people who live here. I understand the bottom line is dollars. Having said that, let’s consider what Bothell has to offer.
No offense, but Bothell doesn’t yet have shopping, restaurants or entertainment that draw people from Seattle. And, when they get there, there’s a big mural telling them to turn around and go back to Phinney, but that’s another letter. I believe people move here for jobs and schools.
Bothell is an ideal environment in which to raise children. The schools are good. The neighborhoods are safe. The air is fresh.
Right now Bothell is different. It has something to offer that Seattle neighborhoods lack. We have wild, forest spaces. I’d like all of you to take a moment and visualize the entrance to Bothell with a hill full of homes on one side and a golf course full of townhomes on the other. Great. Now we look just like Ballard.
We are going to lose what makes this place valuable if we don’t slow down and consider what will be lost. Value is what will be lost. Our uniqueness will be lost. I believe the value of my home will decrease as a result of the rapid, careless development. I believe all the dollars spent re-vitalizing downtown will be wasted because the green spaces which make our community different will be gone.
I can bitch about the noise, the construction, the request for variances and the appalling lack of integrity displayed by those in charge, but I think it will fall on deaf ears.
I want to talk about saving the green, open spaces we have, so we can attract visitors. We don’t need to build so many new residences. The idea of vacant homes with absent landlords horrifies me (Manhattan!). Let’s be smart, not careless. Let’s be the community that doesn’t follow the textbook. In 20 years, let’s be one of the last, beautiful, wooded communities and not another Ballard.
Meg Connelly, Bothell
