We have enough bedrooms, thanks, and the roads are already ridiculously overcrowded, as is the entire area. Still, now the local politicians and the county commissioners want to build more apartments and condos, and let the contractors off the hook for the surrounding traffic impact and infrastructure. The April 24 Columbian story reported “Vancouver council may repeal traffic impact fee.”
As Transportation Planning Manager Matt Ransom put it, “Any lost money would not be taken from the city’s struggling general fund; rather, the infrastructure improvements a new development may require will be added to the city’s $430 million list of infrastructure improvements it wishes to do by 2030.”
Is that supposed to be a joke? 2030, on a wish list?
We all know exactly who will be paying for all of this, not only when the wish list becomes a tax list, but from now on and in perpetuity, with more overcrowded conditions, more traffic, and failing infrastructures meant to alleviate all of it. I was born here,and I say no thanks, no sale.
Building actual businesses so that people can actually live and work here is one thing, but just enabling the short-term greed of the bedroom building industry is just plain foolhardy, especially when we’re already more than overflowing with people.
