There's been much talk lately about a new survey to determine how residents feel about development Downtown. One need only have eyes and ears to know the answer. Dedicated resident stakeholders have attended several recent public meetings and voiced their overwhelming displeasure at the scale and pace of development and their opposition to projects like the Miramar, which would double in size and rise 300 feet on a block zoned for 45 feet.
We residents, time and again, have made our wishes known at meetings, in emails and in letters to the editor, only to have our concerns dismissed and discounted. We do not get paid, but the same cannot be said of the army of developers, attorneys and PR people who ARE paid to advance development projects. For current and former city officials to suggest our opinions are somehow not representative and genuine, is inexcusable.
But let's have another survey anyway. Let us also make certain the process is truly transparent, and the survey itself is fair and asks honest questions and collects honest answers, because we all know what can happen when the fox guards the hen house.
Let's also recall what happened long ago when a small group of citizens began standing tall against leaders who did not listen to them. That small group of people created the United States of America. I don't think anyone reading this needs a poll to figure out how those Founding Fathers felt. Our city leaders don't need a new poll either. They just need to listen.
