A divisive issue
Any light-rail plan that bypasses downtown Bellevue, the region’s second-largest urban center and economic powerhouse of the Eastside, would be an unbelievable mistake [“Light rail divides neighbors,” NWThursday, Feb. 11].
The 1981 rezone envisioned our mega-block central business district as becoming a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented downtown where people would live, work and play. During my years on the Planning Commission and Bellevue City Council, design guidelines and streetscape improvements gave life to that vision and shaped our downtown core to what it is becoming today — a thriving urban center.
The missing piece — the piece central to Bellevue’s long-term vision — is high-capacity transit to connect the heart of our downtown to other regional centers. Our residents, employees and visitors need easier, reliable, sustainable and timely access to downtown.
We must put the trains where the people are. Yes, a downtown alignment might disrupt businesses and residences for a short time, but this is a 100- to 200-year decision! We must not sacrifice the long-term benefits of connectivity, ridership and cleaner air to avoid short-term inconveniences.
I urge the City Council and Sound Transit Board to support an alignment that connects to our downtown core and works, not one that creates a wall that seals off our downtown visually and literally.
— Margot Blacker, former City Council member, Bellevue