Opinion - Letters to the Editor

POSTED: Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

Worried development will ruin Fairhaven

Fairhaven will need a new name if this proposed development of Fairhaven Highlands is allowed to be built. I believe many aspects of this project in a beautiful urban forest with its invaluable wetlands are innately wrong, certainly not "fair."

When I read The Bellingham Herald's article about the draft environmental impact statement, I shook my head. It seems absurd to say the impact of people living elsewhere could be greater than destroying this forest.

This site doesn't support development. The impact statement says "environmentally critical areas cover almost the entire site, the flattest areas on the site are either wetlands or would need to be set aside as wetlands."

The Nature Conservancy's John Sawhill said "in the end our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy." If we refuse to destroy beautiful places like Fairhaven Highlands, we leave behind a treasure, one that can be enjoyed for generations to come by all living beings. We need to demand true infilling instead of encouraging sprawl.

If you are concerned about preserving Fairhaven's character, write a letter to our city planning department about your concerns. Comments are accepted until Thursday, Nov. 12. After that, it may be too late.

Patrice Clark

Bellingham