We're Not Against Progress and Change, Just the Removal of Our House

Daneen and I do not oppose city government's desire to improve and modernize an aging downtown. We do not begrudge the city new and better facilities for law enforcement, public safety and aid, and other services.

However, we feel that it is simply not necessary for the city to take our home and our neighbors' homes in order to accomplish its goals. Other avenues for change and progress must exist.

We and other concerned residents may not fully understand all the factors and considerations involved in revitalizing our city, but we do know that the current designs lack an essential compassion.

In conversations between the two of us and with others in our community, we wonder if undeveloped land to the west and south could be purchased and used for the city's purposes. Or, we wonder if the land and properties that the city currently owns could be put to better use, without the requirement for significant expansion into existing residential blocks.

Daneen and I, and we presume many of our neighbors, have now been relegated to a sort of limbo, an aggravating and frustrating state of uncertainty.

At this point in time, we envision various undesirable scenarios for the immediate future.

Over the years we have lived in our house, we have made what we consider to be improvements, whether practical or aesthetic. We want to make further improvements, but why spend the money and go through the effort if the house is slated for demolition? Why upgrade more windows and install central air conditioning, for example, if we can't enjoy their benefits for a good long while (or realize the added value to our home in its purchase price if we were to sell and move some day)?

If we were to decide to preemptively sell our house and move because of the looming -- though by no means inevitable -- threat of an eminent domain action by the city, would we be able to find a buyer? And if yes, would we take a considerable hit on the actual selling price (because full disclosure dictates notifying a buyer of the city's intentions for our block)?

For now, we are resigned to waiting and observing how the next step or two in the planning process will play out. If public opinion is strongly in favor of one or the other proposed options, then our family seems fated to endure a long(?) grind that concludes with our forced relocation. However, if the opposite occurs, if public opinion is against the proposed options or in favor of some less-invasive alternative, then hope and the promise of reprieve are operative.


Daneen and I desire that latter possibility with all our heart.

As one final reminder, the city is accepting public input through the end of the day today. You can submit your opinion via the city's website. Simply click the link at the center of the main webpage and follow the instructions from there. Thank you.