Letter to the Editor, Ann Arbor News,
dated 9/7/2003, by Jack Eaton
I write in response to Judy McGovern's September 7 column. She bemoans
the City's "capitulation" to members of the Dicken neighborhood and the
purchase of parkland that is not "high quality" forrest. She does not
affirmatively state what she believes the City should do as an
alternative to what the neighborhood has suggested. She simply opposes
citizen action.
Is there a "high quality" undeveloped property on the west side of town
that she believes is being overlooked in favor of the Dicken Woods
property? No, there is no alternative piece of property in our area.
The simple fact is the City has few undeveloped parcels of land. If the
City seeks to expand its parkland, it will have to select from the
available land rather than hold out for an unrealistic ideal of finding
high quality forest land.
Is the park acquisition fund limited to purchasing "high quality"
forests? No, the fund is meant for the expansion of parkland within the
City. Conversely, few of the City's existing parks would satisfy the
"high quality" forest standard urged by Ms. McGovern. Parkland is meant
for recreation and for relief from urban density. Green space has
inherent value to surrounding neighborhoods. Livable neighborhoods are
the essential strength of the City.
A more significant point that Ms. McGovern misunderstands is that the
property in question is unsuitable for development. If she were to take
an unbiased look at the facts, she might find that development of this
property will exacerbate the storm water drainage problems in this
area. Additionally, development of Dicken Woods would have detrimental
environmental impact on the watersheds of Allen's Creek and Mallet's
Creek. It is not that we oppose have new neighbors, we simply don't
want to suffer the detriments of displacing the water from these
wetlands.
Unlike Ms. McGovern, the neighbors have researched these issues,
including funding an environmental study, and back our positions with
facts. The Friends of Dicken Woods organization has posted supporting
information on their web site: www.dickenwoods.org. Earlier this year,
the Planning Commission denied a developer's plan to build on the land
because of the legitimate concerns of the neighborhood.
Ms. McGovern concludes her remarks by observing that "the squeaky wheel
gets the cash." Her apparent preference would be for wealthy developers
to have their way in spite of citizen concerns. The Dicken neighborhood
petitioned their government, as have many neighborhoods, and the
government responded to the legitimate concerns of its citizens. I am
offended that this bothers Ms. McGovern.
Signed,
Jack Eaton, Ann Arbor
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