Hines editorial | Letter to the Editor

Published 11:06 am Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The editorial in the July 1 Reporter indicates serious displeasure that the Hines corporation was “driven out” of its proposed mammoth project in our downtown.

It is very unlikely that this editorial represents the view of the majority of Mercer Island residents. We can disagree with the Design Commission and the City Council on various issues, as I sometimes do, but on the Hines issue those two local bodies acted with integrity, transparency and responsiveness to public opinion.

Specifically, in return for its being exempted from the “moratorium” and thus being allowed to submit a proposal for a huge five-story building, Hines indicated it would provide many benefits for the Island, including Whole Foods, plenty of commuter parking and a large and delightful public plaza. When Hines reneged on all three of these, the Design Commission and City Council rightfully placed Hines in the moratorium after all, thus denying, at least for the time being, its right to proceed.

The editorial writers may want such a huge building without the benefits which Hines had indicated it would provide, but I strongly suspect that most Mercer Islanders would disagree.

Richard Winslow