Recent travels to Chicago, New York City, Phoenix and Portland find citizens in these cities, like Mercer Island, in a fight to preserve public parkland from private developers.

What’s going on? Is this a movement? No, it’s simple economics. People are realizing that open space is becoming a scarce and valuable resource that needs to be protected.

Here on Mercer Island, open space and parkland is the city’s most valuable asset, according to its auditors. Using a proven methodology by the Trust for Public Land, Mercer Island parkland provides benefits to its citizens valued at over $8 million annually.

Why does our city then want to give such valuable land in Mercerdale Park to private developers for free?

Peter Struck

Mercer Island