The News Tribune (Lite) - No right to build in face of neighbors’ opposition

TheNewsTribune.com
Section: Letters

No right to build in face of neighbors’ opposition

RUTHANN ARNOLD; Tacoma
Re: “An appalling blunder in Northshore case” (editorial, 9-6).

Your editorial was on the mark as to the ineptness of the city attorney’s office. It blundered by not meeting the filing deadline to appeal the complete status of the developer’s application to build high-density housing on what is now the Northshore Golf Course.

But I was dismayed by the last line in your editorial in which you stated, “The developer has the right to build.”

Since when does a completed application entitle the applicant to an affirmative response? A completed application is no guarantee of success. It is one step in the process. So what if the application is complete? It is still just an application.

The Tacoma City Council and Planning Commission will review the application, with input from the community. I think they will discover that we don’t want out-of-control high-density development. We already have more than our share of overcrowded schools, strained city services and inadequate roads.

The News Tribune has an opportunity to serve the whole community by researching and reporting accurately and responsibly during this process.

Instead of “The developer has the right to build,” why not, “the developer has the right to submit an application for review by city officials who will determine whether it will benefit or harm our community.”

Fortunately, the City Council has a lot of solid input on the legal, educational and environmental impacts. Let’s hope the needs of the community will outweigh those of the developer.