After carefully reviewing the downtown revitalization plan, I have several problems with the proposal. The first is the fact that my home no longer exists in this “plan.” It appears to disappear altogether and is replaced with a “commercial service/second story residential” structure. My neighbor’s houses across the street have been torn down as well, and are now “town homes.” In the city’s projection we are gone.

My second concern is, of course, the lack of appreciation for the current historic buildings. In the vision it looks as though their original character is erased and cookie pressed to form a clean-looking strip of upper-scale shopping adventures.

My third issue is with the added building and parking areas. Will these be impervious?

I was told that the flood boundaries and regulations will be changed to allow this vision to become reality. Does that change the fact that we flood? Should we be adding pavement and structures to an area that floods? I do believe that an impervious area decreases water absorption.

My fourth concern is the treatment of Sandy Cove Park. In the drawing, it looks like the entrance to an amusement park. The river and its gently handled trail are beautiful in their own right and need no marquis to make them so.

Let me tell you our vision (my neighbors, myself and many others who reside within the revitalization boundaries) for downtown Snoqualmie. In our vision, embracing diversity is number one. Every person has a voice. Community is our most important asset and ideas abound and are acted upon by consensus. Growth and change come from within, considering all who reside within our boundaries. In our vision, there is a library, a grocery store, a city hall, a hardware store and a bowling alley. There are coffee shops and eateries and specialty gift shops, pubs and pizza and a gas station with familiar faces. There is a laundromat, a florist, a post office, a drugstore and a walk-in pharmacy. There is access to a bus route and hiking/biking trails and a skate park/bike park for our children.

In our vision, we embrace our religions and our history. We honor our historic buildings and support our historic train museum. We take good care of our parks and our surrounding river and waterways. We honor nature and try to minimize our impact when we enjoy it. We honor differences and try not to impose our value system on others. We do not need to hire outside consultants to show and tell us what to “be” because we know what we are and we like it.

In my opinion, save the revenue spent on the consultants and architects and focus on the things that matter. Support and honor our history and let us evolve into what we wish to become with help along the way.

Cristie Coffing

Snoqualmie business

owner and resident