Letters to the Editor, Feb. 17
Board thankful for community support
The overwhelmingly successful passage of the Continuing Educational Programs and Operations Levy is a great achievement for the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula community. Thank you, to the community, for coming together to support our local schools. Your “yes” vote means that we can retain our current staffing, provide for basic maintenance of our facilities, address many other vital needs, and give our educators the opportunity to provide an enriching learning experience for our students.
We appreciate your feedback and will continue to allocate funds responsibly and thoughtfully. Your support shows that great schools are truly valued in our community.
Great communities support great schools. Thank you for voting “yes”!
Rand Wilhelmsen, Gig Harbor (submitted on behalf of the Peninsula School District Board of Directors)
Rezoning effort affects every neighborbood
At 6 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 18), the Gig Harbor City Council will host a public hearing in the Civic Center on Small Residential Dwellings (SRD).
This rezone affects most every street and neighborhood.
In 2015, the Gig Harbor City Council voted on a work study pushing for Small Residential Dwellings throughout Gig Harbor. This rezoning doubles the housing density and further reduces off street parking.
The impacts of gridlock traffic, inadequate parking, unsafe roundabouts and shortage of schools for our kids never gets discussed when these regulations are created.
If you live in Gig Harbor, chances are these changes are coming to your neighborhood. This “zoning virus” includes pretty much every area of Gig Harbor, reaching from one end of Gig Harbor to the other and spans the width of our town.
There will be no more single family home zones in Gig Harbor.
Take a ½-acre lot where you are currently able to build one home, now slice it into 4 to 6 homes. There can be 12 homes on 1 acre. This creates a financial windfall for developers. Developers may use empty lots or purchase and bulldoze existing homes.
Gig Harbor was advised to slow down out of control growth and to take actions to avoid further growth. Gig Harbor has been asked to limit density until the infrastructure is in place. The city needs to explain to the state where the money will come from to fully fund infrastructure, streets, parks and schools before development is allowed.
Gig Harbor has been advised to institute development standards appropriate to retain our small-town character.
Jeni Woock, Gig Harbor
GUEST SUBMISSIONS
The Peninsula Gateway accepts guest columns up to 600 words and letters to the editor up to 250 words. Priority consideration is given to those who live on the Gig Harbor or Key peninsulas. Letters and columns should be submitted by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to the next publication. The Peninsula Gateway reserves the right to edit for space, style and potentially libelous material. To submit a letter or column, email gatewayeditor@gateline.com (preferred), or mail it to: Letters to the Editor, 3226 Rosedale St., Gig Harbor, WA 98335.
This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Letters to the Editor, Feb. 17."