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From Ed Moye 09/20/2016 <br />My name is ed moye and I paytaxes in Betty Taylor’s neighborhood <br />OverthepastyearmyhomehasbeenassaultedbySWSAZ.Duringthattime,along <br />with hundreds of my neighbors, I have attended endless meetings. At no time, in any <br />ofthosemeetings,have I ever heardanyone, wholives in the neighborhood, <br />denounce densification. Most just want to see infill that doesn’t destroytheir <br />neighborhood. It is my belief that the Brown/ Clark Plan presents thebest hope to <br />these legitimate ambitions. <br />But tohearthe Mayor tell it, there is still not enough public comment. As we enter the <br />secondyearofsuchcomment,itseemstomethatthecityispushinganother <br />SWSAZesque,topdown, “We know best” process. After a year of working to <br />marginalizetheaffected neighbors, the city plannerswant to get more input from <br />people who don’t actually live there(Which is how they came up with SWSAZ in the <br />firstplace!). I predict, that chaos will again ensue. Then “We know best” planners will <br />step in, cherry pick the “public” comments, and Son of SWSAZ will rise from the ashes. <br />600 <br />Over the past year, over 600 people, have signed a petition denouncing SWSAZ <br /> <br />people! <br />They likewise implored the city to implement a Refinement Plan, where the <br />neighborhoods drive the plan, not the planning department and not carpetbaggers <br />from outside the area. After all, if you actually want to know about neighborhood, <br />who are you going to ask? The people who live there or paid lobbyists from Salem, <br />Portland, and New York City. <br />My neighborhood is eager to proceed with the Brown/ Clark Plan, yet the city wants <br />to ignore the offer. The planners have made a big public show of denouncing SWSAZ. <br />But, if they want to heal swsaz’s wounds, they need to play a role much closer to a <br />helpful County Agent, than to a slippery apologist for the Emperor’s New Clothes. Let <br /> <br />the neighborhood drive these decisions and support them in accomplishing their <br />goals. Only then will the city earn the right to say they work for “We the People”. <br />The Brown/Clark plan alsosets the stage for other neighborhoods to see the planning <br />process as an opportunity, not a tax supported assaulton the homes they hold dear. <br />If city planners insist on a top down paradigm, I foresee a long, bitter fight. South <br />Willamette Neighbors group willbegladto help other nascent neighborhood groups <br />toorganizeand fight any Sonof SWSAZ! As a member of South Willamette Neighbors <br />These <br />Group, I canassure youthat ourarguments will not be swept under the rug. <br />are people’shomes. <br /> <br /> <br />