Wouldn't that be awesome RAE!? The Commons would have been in place to be used by ALL by now. Sigh.
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The primary arguments were that it would ruin the light industry of the area (done, but sorry, that has more to do with our insane trade policies that are beneficial only for the trans-national corporations that have been running our govt.), create incentive for homelessness (oooh, what a nice park bench. I think I'll move out of my comfortable, warm and dry apartment), and be a boon to developers. Well, guess what Matthew Fox, Mike Foley, et al, the industry is all but gone, homelessness soldiers on, even without additional park benches, and Paul Allen and other land owners (Mr. Foley) are making massive profits on their investments. And what do we have to show for it? No real park. Pocket parks don't count; they are just bits of orphan land that can't be developed otherwise.
Good job, NIMBYs. You all suck.

JoB and all,
Of course my original post should have been with a ;->. WS is great.

No question about JoB, Portland has set a very high standard for all cities. I love Portland and wish we up here could just get things done like they seem to be able to do down there. Of course they were blessed with founding pioneers that had vision for a beautiful city from the very beginning. Seattles pioneers vision was cutting down trees and leveling the hills. To this day Seattle lacks the urban green spaces in the very heart of the city that many other cities take for granted. That's why I worked so hard on the Commons Park campaign back in the '90s.Voting no on Commons Park was a huge moral setback for the city I love.

ellenator

as much as i like it here
and i do

I have to stick up for Oregon
i miss the Gorge and the easy trek into the high desert or the beach from Portland
i miss the street food...
i miss Saturday market.. no pike place isn't the same
i miss hot springs accessible to handicapped folks
and public transportation that rocks
and Powell's books

told hubby the other day that i wanted to morph the sound and Portland's walkability and transit with the Gorge next door and an easy trek to the beach with all that is Seattle...

If you know someplace like that..
give me a heads up will you?

In the meantime... i am out there nearly every day taking as much advantage of this city as i can.

When i lived in Portland, Seattle was a magnet i couldn't resist. i still can't.

I agree. I was just in Oregon and couldn't get back home to West Seattle fast enough. I think you'd have to be insane to live anywhere else in Seattle.

I have lived in the Alki area for ten years ( been a frequent visitor for 30). So, let me just speak for my street, 57th s.w. We know most of our neighbors on our two blocks between Schmitz Park and the beach. We have a very good turn out for our "neighbors night out" in August. We frequently stop and visit when coming and going. And we regularly hang out with three neighbors. Our next door neighbor is a spry 92 year old lady with a lovely garden and we love her and are always looking out for her. Hiking on the beach, in the hills above the beach or in the forest, my smile or greeting is usually returned. I don't think this is unique to Alki or West Seattle. I know that I would pursue these kind of relationships no matter what neighborhood I lived in. But most of us here in West Seattle know we live in a beautiful place. And whether it's Whale Tail Park, the Statue of Liberty Plaza, or the Elliott Bay Water Taxi, many of us get involved to protect it or to make it better. Some of us get burned out on these projects and bow out others move right on to the next one. But in the process we all get to meet our neighbors and get something good done in our own back yard. And, of course, this sort of thing happens in neighborhoods all over Seattle. It's just that ALKI, is the best urban wilderness in the lower forty eight. So, that's what I think of my street.

is that what we did ;->

We fooled another one.

I am currently living in Puyallup but am from all over the country and I just want to say that the community of West Seattle is one of the best communities I've seen. I am looking forward to moving back in June(this time to the Alki area.) It seems like the residents really care about what is going on and try their best to live a good life and take care of one another. Keep up the great work! :)